Yapese is spoken on the main islands of Yap in the western Caroline Islands, part of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is an Austronesian language of the Oceanic group, but its exact position within that group has never been settled; it is notably different from the Micronesian languages of Yap State's own outer islands, such as Ulithian and Woleaian. Speaker numbers are generally estimated at several thousand. The language is written in the Latin alphabet, with a spelling system that uses doubled letters and apostrophes to mark glottalised sounds, and English is used alongside it in schooling and administration. Yap is known for its stone money, and Yapese remains central to the island's ceremonial life, though younger speakers increasingly mix it with English.
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