Gela language
| Gela | |
|---|---|
| Nggela | |
| Native to | Central Solomon Islands |
| Region | Big Nggela, Small Nggela, Sandfly and Buenavista Islands |
Native speakers | (12,000 cited 1999) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nlg |
| Glottolog | gela1263 |
Gela (English: /ˈɡeɪlɑː/ GAY-lah), also known as Nggela [ᵑgela] and formerly as Florida, is an Oceanic language spoken in the Nggela Islands, in the middle of the Solomon Islands. It belongs to the Southeast Solomonic group of the Oceanic family.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Gela was used by the Melanesian Mission of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, as a language of Christianisation ‒ along with Mota, a language of the Banks islands of northern Vanuatu. The first translation of the scriptures in Gela was published in 1882.