Introduction

 

The title in the vernacular for the Daui Dictionary is Alina Daui Libalibadi.

The Daui language is spoken by 1500-2000 people living in Papua New Guinea. Speakers of Daui live mostly along the southeastern coast of the eastern tip of Milne Bay Province mainland, ranging from Sawaia Bay (formerly called Farm Bay) in the east to the east side of Mullins Harbour to the west.

Daui is the autonym for this language. Beginning around the 1980's their neighbors often refer to them as Lausaha (sometimes spelled Lau Saha). This comes from the phrase "where are you going."

This language is part of the Suau Cluster which are Papuan Tip Austronesian languages. Currently, Suau [SWP] is the language listed in Ethnologue, but Bonalua, Daui, and Bonabona should be listed as separate languages.