Papua New Guinea, a sovereign state in Oceania, is the most linguistically diverse country in the world.

"[7][8] Most of these are classified as indigenous Papuan languages, which form a diverse sprachbund across the island of New Guinea.

[9][10] Tok Pisin, an English-based creole, is the most widely spoken, serving as the country's lingua franca.

In parts of Western, Gulf, Central, Oro and Milne Bay provinces, however, the use of Tok Pisin has a shorter history, and is less universal especially among older people.

Below is a full list of Papuan language families spoken in Papua New Guinea, following Palmer, et al. (2018):[13] People speaking languages belonging to the Austronesian family arrived in New Guinea approximately 3,500 years ago.

[citation needed] PNGSL is an official language of Papua New Guinea; it is based on Auslan and various home sign forms.