Page Type: languageMato | Ethnologue

MET ISO 639-3

Mato

Mato Autonym

A language of Papua New Guinea

ISO 639
met
Alternate Names
Nenaya, Nengaya, Nineia
Autonym
Mato
Population
700 (Stober 2013).
Location:
Morobe province: Huon peninsula north coast, near Morobe-Madang provincial border, Uruwa river plain west of Wasu, north of Sapmanga, southeast of Saidor.
Language Status
6a (Vigorous).
Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic, North New Guinea, Ngero-Vitiaz, Vitiaz, Roinji-Nenaya
Dialects
Ramuk, Tabares. Dialects are mutually intelligible. Lexical similarity: 54% with Uma [roe], 29%–32% with Pano [mqz] dialects, 28% with Karnai [bbv], 23% with Arop-Lokep [apr], 20% with Mala [mmt] (Stober 2013).
Typology
SVO; Prepositions, with one clitic postposition; Noun Head: Initial; Noun classes: 3 (Alienable, Inalienable, Local); Genders: None; Verbal affixation marks subject, object, causation, transitivity, distribution, intensity, direction, nominalization; Consonants: 16, Vowels: 5 (Stober 2013).
Language Use
Not endangered (2000 D. Tryon). All domains, except church. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Most also use Tok Pisin [tpi]. Used as L2 by Nukna [klt], Pano [mqz].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 4%. Literacy rate in L2: 41%. Literature. Texts. NT: 2018.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Mato
Writing
Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments
Christian, traditional religion.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Morobe province: Huon peninsula north coast, near Morobe-Madang provincial border, Uruwa river plain west of Wasu, north of Sapmanga, southeast of Saidor.