Languages Spoken in the Marshall Islands

Marshall Island is located on the west side of the international date line. It is also known as one of the larger Micronesian island groups, containing more than 25 coral atolls and has nearly 1200 individual islands. The population of the country is just over 55,000 people and more than 60% of all islanders live in either Ebeye or the capital Majuro. Though the island has natural resources, scenic beauty, and is surrounded by sea life, the economy is not doing so well. Those looking for raw materials and fishery products make the most. But most of the country is plagued by unemployment and lack of development. Hence, education is also not so well spread, and foreigners need a translation agency to communicate with locals. 

Population growth is also almost non-existent due to the lack of facilities. When looking at the descent of the people, the majority is either of Asian ancestry or of Micronesian origin. There are two official languages that are spoken in the Marshall Islands, namely Marshallese and English. However, there are traces of other languages such as Spanish, Japanese, and neighboring island languages. 

Marshall Islands: Official Languages 

There are two main languages spoken in the Marshall Islands, English and Marshallese. Marshallese is the official language, and English is spoken to promote commerce. People often avail Marshallese translation services to communicate with people from the island, and certain exporters also use translation services to promote themselves to the global community. 

Marshallese

Marshallese is the most popular language in the Marshall Islands and is commonly called Ebon by the local population. Almost everyone in the country can speak this language, and is also the most common language in government. Marshallese is a member of the sub-group of Austronesian languages like Chuukese and Nauraun as a Micronesian language. There are two dialects in which the language is spoken namely Rataka and Ralik dialect. The most commonly spoken dialect is Ralik, used by the western residents of the Ratak Chain. The Ratak dialect, on the other hand is spoken by the Eastern Ratak Chain. When people avail of Marshallese translation services, they often have to mention dialect for better translation results. Though both dialects are lexically different and mutually intelligible.

Since the language is spoken by nearly 99% of the population. It is no surprise that it is the official language of commerce, education, and daily routines. Marshallese is also commonly spoken in the USA and Nauru. Most Micronesian language speakers are few usually in the hundreds. Marshallese enjoys the privilege of thousands of speakers and experiences growth instead of decline like other languages. Most translation agency owners will also admit that most Micronesian translations are for Marshallese. Moreover, it is the only Micronesian language to have its bible and dictionary. The language has a vast consonant inventory and each has a sort of secondary articulation. 

English

The island has few sources of income. When taking out exports, the biggest money-maker is tourism. A reason why English is the second official language of the Marshall Islands. Though it is practically spoken by foreigners living there or by those in tourism. English is necessary since barely anyone outside of the Marshall Islands can speak Marshallese. It is the common language for business and for diplomats. There is a firm belief that the English language was introduced to the Islanders by a British Captain by the name of William Marshall in 1788. But the main reason for the language being so popular was due to 40 years of US-based rule. English is more commonly spoken on the western banks of the islands. However, English is not given so much importance when compared to Marshallese. We can expect the trend to continue in the future.

Other Languages 

Given the history and time of the Island, there are good traces of Japanese, Spanish, American, and neighboring languages in the Marshall Islands. People here commonly speak more than one language and are bilingual. A large number of Japanese people migrated to the Island, and it has made Japanese more common. The Nauru Island inhabitants also influence the Marshall Island language and culture. But again, no language can compete with the Marshallese.

Conclusion

The Marshall Islands have a rich history and need to communicate with the world for development. Marshallese is still the most commonly spoken language on the country’s island. There are large groups of foreigners who visit each year, and among the migrant population, it is the Japanese who lead the way. However, it is the US and British influence that has established English as one of the primary languages of the country. Future trends show that the country could benefit by learning more widely spoken languages. It will not do that, and those needing communication on the Marshall Islands will need transition services