| Lakon | |
|---|---|
| Lakona, Vure | |
| Pronunciation | [laˈkɔn] |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Gaua |
Native speakers | 800 (2012) [1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lkn |
| Glottolog | lako1245 |
| ELP | Lakon |
 Lakon is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Lakon is an Oceanic language, spoken on the west coast of Gaua island in Vanuatu.
The language name Lakon [laˈkɔn] refers originally to the area where it is spoken ‒ namely Lakona Bay, corresponding to the west coast of Gaua. The alternative name Lakona [lakona] is from the Mota language. These names are derived from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *laᵑgona, of unknown meaning.
Lakon had four dialects, named Qatareu (Qätärew [k͡pʷætæˈrɛw] ), Vure (Vurē [βuˈrɪ] ), Toglatareu, and Togla.
Lakon has 16 phonemic consonants. [2]
| Labiovelar | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Dorsal | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | k͡p ʷ ⟨q⟩ | p ⟨p⟩ | t ⟨t⟩ | tʃ ⟨j⟩ | k ⟨k⟩ | |
| Nasal | ŋ͡m ʷ ⟨m̄⟩ | m ⟨m⟩ | n ⟨n⟩ | ŋ ⟨n̄⟩ | ||
| Fricative | β ~ ɸ ⟨v⟩ | s ⟨s⟩ | ɣ ⟨g⟩ | h ⟨h⟩ | ||
| Rhotic | r ⟨r⟩ | |||||
| Lateral | l ⟨l⟩ | |||||
| Approximant | w ⟨w⟩ |
The glottal stop [ʔ] only occurs before vowels in syllable-initial position. While non-phonemic, it is sometimes noted in the orthography, using a ⟨’⟩ mark.
Lakon has 16 phonemic vowels. These include 8 short /i ɪ ɛ æ a ɔ ʊ u/ and 8 long vowels /iː ɪː ɛː æː aː ɔː ʊː uː/. [2] [3]
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Near-close | i ⟨i⟩ ∙ iː ⟨ii⟩ | u ⟨u⟩ ∙ uː ⟨uu⟩ |
| Close-mid | ɪ ⟨ē⟩ ∙ ɪː ⟨ēē⟩ | ʊ ⟨ō⟩ ∙ ʊː ⟨ōō⟩ |
| Open-mid | ɛ ⟨e⟩ ∙ ɛː ⟨ee⟩ | ɔ ⟨o⟩ ∙ ɔː ⟨oo⟩ |
| Near-open | æ ⟨ä⟩ ∙ æː ⟨ää⟩ | |
| Open | a ⟨a⟩ ∙ aː ⟨aa⟩ | |
Historically, the phonemicisation of vowel length originates in the compensatory lengthening of short vowels when the alveolar trill /r/ was lost syllable-finally. This is considered to be a very recent change, perhaps within the last century, as Codrington still indicates the trill syllable-finally. [4] However, the 1897 Book of Common Prayer in Lakon shows loss of the trill, as evidenced by tataa [taˈtaː] "prayer" (spelled as tata) for Mota tataro.
The system of personal pronouns in Lakon contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes four numbers (singular, dual, trial, plural). [5]
Spatial reference in Lakon is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is typical of Oceanic languages. [6]
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