Gospels and Acts in the Florida Language

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Gospels and Acts in the Florida Language (GELGOS)

Overview

This volume contains the four Gospels and Acts in the Gela language, published in 1906 and now in the public domain. The vernacular title is Didira Ma Na Lei Gehegehe Na Lei Mane Yetena. Gela (also known as Nggela or Florida) is an Oceanic language of the Solomon Islands, not to be confused with the ISO 639-3 code ‘gel’ which maps to Kag-Fer-Jiir-Koor-Ror-Us-Zuksun (ut-Ma’in) of Nigeria. The actual language of this translation is Gela (ISO 639-3: nlg), spoken in the Nggela (Florida) Islands in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. [1] [2]

Gela was first written by missionaries from the Melanesian Mission of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, who published a Gela translation of scriptures as early as 1882. [1] Towards the end of the 19th century, Gela served alongside Mota as a language of Christianization throughout the Melanesian Mission’s sphere of influence. [1] By 1897, the Mission claimed to minister to nearly four thousand Christians in the Nggela Islands. [3]

Note: The language metadata in this record (ISO code ‘gel’, language “ut-Ma’in”, country “New Zealand”) is incorrect. This translation is in the Gela language (ISO: nlg) of the Florida Islands, Solomon Islands.

Language and People

Corrected identification: Gela (ISO 639-3: nlg) is spoken by approximately 12,000 people in the Nggela (Florida) Islands, Central Province, Solomon Islands. Speakers are found on Big Nggela (Nggela Sule), Small Nggela (Nggela Pile), and Sandfly (Mboko ni Mbeti) islands. [1] Gela belongs to the Southeast Solomonic group of Oceanic languages and has three dialects: Central Gela, Gela Pile, and Sandfly. [1] Most speakers are Anglicans. [3]

Original metadata (likely incorrect): ut-Ma’in (ISO 639-3: gel) is spoken by approximately 36,000 people in Nigeria, Map 1. [Glottolog: kagf1238]

References