Languages of the Federated States of Micronesia
Despite its small size, the Federated States of Micronesia is a multilingual country: according to Ethnologue there are 17 living and endemic languages in the country of 115,000 people. 89 % of the population is literate.[1]
English
[edit]Most of the population knows English and it's the primary language of commerce and diplomacy.[2] Furthermore, English is the working language of the Congress, although according to the Constitution knowledge of English cannot be a precondition for becoming a Congress representative.[3]
Endemic languages
[edit]The endemic languages of the country are an important.[2] According to the law, in order to get Micronesian citizenship through application, the applicant must demonstrate knowledge in at least one of the country's endemic languages.[4]
Besides English eight endemic languages enjoy official language status on state-level:[5]
| State | Official languages | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Yap | endemic languages of the state (Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Satawalese) and English | [6][7] |
| Chuuk | Chuukese and English | [8] |
| Pohnpei | Pohnpeian and English | [9] |
| Kosrae | Kosraean and English | [10] |
The endemic languages of the country are distributed as follow:[11][12]
| Rank | Language | Language family | Number of speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chuukese | Micronesian | 45,900 |
| 2 | Pohnpeian | 30,000 | |
| 3 | Kosraean | 8,000 | |
| 4 | Mortlockese | 5,900 | |
| 5 | Yapese | Admiralty Islands? | 5,130 |
| 6 | Ulithian | Micronesian | 3,000 |
| 7 | Kapingamarangi | Polynesian | 3,000 |
| 8 | Pingelapese | Micronesian | 3,000 |
| 9 | Woleaian | 1,700 | |
| 10 | Mokilese | 1,500 | |
| 11 | Puluwat | 1,400 | |
| 12 | Pááfang | 1,300 | |
| 13 | Namonuito | 940 | |
| 14 | Nukuoro | Polynesian | 700 |
| 15 | Ngatikese | Micronesian | 700 |
| 16 | Satawalese | 500 | |
| 17 | Nguluwan | Admiralty Islands | 50 |
| 18 | Ngatikese Creole | Creole | 30 |
Foreign languages
[edit]Some eldery folk knows fluent Japanese. This is due to the fact that the Federated States of Micronesia was a colony of the Japanese Empire till the end of World War II.[2][13]
References
[edit]- "The Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia". fsmlaw.org. 1979.
Notes
[edit]- ↑ "Micronesia". Ethnologue. 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- 1 2 3 "What Languages Are Spoken In The Federated States Of Micronesia?". WorldAtlas. 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ The Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia (1979): art. IX
- ↑ "FSM Citizenship". fsmlaw.org. 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "Etats fédérés de Micronésie". La France aux Philippines et en Micronésie (in French). Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "Yap Constitution Entire". fsmlaw.org. Archived from the original on 2024-12-13. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "Yapese language and alphabet". omniglot.com. 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "Chuuk Constitution Entire". fsmlaw.org. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "Pohnpei Constitution Entire". fsmlaw.org. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "Constitution of the State of Kosrae" (PDF). bwcimplementation.org. 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "Micronesia". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ↑ "Micronesia, Federated States of". The World Factbook. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
- ↑ "About Federated States of Micronesia". visit-micronesia.fm. Archived from the original on 2025-04-28. Retrieved 2026-10-09.