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Marshallese Language Orthography (Standard Spelling) Act 2010

NITIJELA OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

31^ST CONSTITUTIONAL REGULAR SESSION, 2010

BILL NO.: 72ND1

P.L. 2010 – 45

MARSHALLESE LANGUAGE ORTHOGRAPHY (STANDARD SPELLING) ACT 2010

AN ACT

to declare a standardized spelling system for written Marshallese words and phrases.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE NITIJELA OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS:

Section 1. Short Title.

This Act may be cited as the Marshallese Language Orthography (Standard Spelling) Act, 2010.

Section 2. Purpose.

The purposes of this Act are:

(1) to declare the correct way of writing Marshallese words and phrases with the proper letters, usages and spelling; and

(2) to ensure spelling used in written publication conforms to the standardized orthography.

Section 3. Requirement for use of Standardized Spelling Rule.

(1) Any Government body, agency or any private institution or organization that engages in publishing of Marshallese materials as a mode of learning or communication shall conform with the Standardized Spelling Rule as set out in the Marshallese English Dictionary published by the University Press of Hawaii, as amended.

(2) The Marshallese English Dictionary is set out in Schedule 1 to this Act.

Section 4. Duties of the Language Commission.

In furtherance to its functions and duties specified in Section 105 of the 39 MIRC 1, the Customary Law and Language Commission shall:

(1) declare the spelling rules in the Marshallese English Dictionary as the Standard Spelling Rule for writing Marshallese words and phrases;

(2) ensure conformity with the Standard Spelling Rule by both public and a private institution or organization; and

(3) educate the public and including a private institution or organization on the Standard Spelling Rules.

Section 5. Transition.

(1) This Act shall come into force:

(a) for education, after one (1) year of standardizing the education materials including the Marshallese grammar;

(b) for other public organization, and private organization, after 2 years of fully aware and understanding the standard spelling rules.

(2) Nothing in this section shall prevent any organization either public or private to fully comply with the Act upon its coming into effect pursuant to section 6.

Section 6. Effective Date.

This Act shall take effect in accordance with the Constitution and the Rules of Procedures of the Nitijela.

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Schedule 1

(Section 3)

Marshallese-English Dictionary

The Sounds of Marshallese and Rules for Spelling the Language

The basic rule for spelling Marshallese is to spell words according to their sounds. Such a spelling is said to be phonetic. Some languages have phonetic spelling, and some do not. Those that do are easier for students to learn to read and write. The information below is taken for the Marshallese-English Dictionary published by the University of Hawai'i Press in 1976, and continues to apply to the revised version out in line in 2009. ( www.trusse12.com/MOD/ ). It lists each sound and shows how it is spelled in several words.

The letters used to show the sounds of the language and spell the words in this dictionary are listed here in the alphabetical order used in the dictionary. It is the same order used in English dictionaries, except that a letter with a mark follows the same letter without a mark. A brief phonetic description and a phonetic symbol are given for the sound of each letter, followed by several example words. (The term LIGHT is used to describe consonants that are pronounced with the body of the tongue in an "at rest" position for such consonants; the term HEAVY is used for consonants that have the back of the tongue raised (velarized) and the root of the tongue retracted (pharyngealized) so as to elongate the oral cavity, thereby giving the consonant a "heavier" or "darker" sound. The rounding referred to is that of the lips. This and the other phonetic terminology are explained in greater detail in MRG 2.)