Malua Bay language

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Malua Bay
Middle Nambas
Native to Vanuatu
Region Malekula
Ethnicity720 (2001) [1]
Native speakers
500 (2009) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 mll
Glottolog malu1245
ELP Malua Bay
Lang Status 99-NE.svg
Malua Bay is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Malua Bay (also called Middle Nambas) is an Oceanic language spoken in northwest Malekula, Vanuatu. It has two main dialects: one spoken in Malua Bay and the other spoken in Espiegles Bay.

Contents

Classification

Malua, as an Oceanic language, belongs to the Austronesian language family. Furthermore, it belongs to the Malekula grouping within the Central Vanuatu subgroup, along with Nese, Botovro, Vovo, Vao, and others. [2]

Community

Malua is mainly spoken in Malua and Espiegles Bay, with a small amount of speakers in Port Vila. The majority of speakers are bilingual in Bislama, English, or French. [3]

Grammar

Malua contains a distinction between alienable and inalienable possession. Verbal predicates are marked for either realis or irrealis mood. It also exhibits nominative-accusative alignment. [4]

Related Research Articles

MLL may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malakula</span> Island in Vanuatu

Malakula, also spelled Malekula, is the second-largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides, in Melanesia, a region of the Pacific Ocean.

The Central Vanuatu languages form a linkage of Southern Oceanic languages spoken in central Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Oceanic languages</span> Subgroup of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian language family

The Southern Oceanic languages are a linkage of Oceanic languages spoken in Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It was proposed by John Lynch in 1995 and supported by later studies. It appears to be a linkage rather than a language family with a clearly defined internal nested structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Vanuatu</span> Languages spoken in the South Pacific country Vanuatu

The Republic of Vanuatu has the world's highest linguistic density per capita. Despite being a country with a population of less than 300,000, Vanuatu is home to 138 indigenous Oceanic languages.

Mwotlap is an Oceanic language spoken by about 2,100 people in Vanuatu. The majority of speakers are found on the island of Motalava in the Banks Islands, with smaller communities in the islands of Ra and Vanua Lava, as well as migrant groups in the two main cities of the country, Santo and Port Vila.

Aulua or Aulua Bay is an Oceanic language spoken in east Malekula, Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Vanuatu</span>

This article presents an overview of the culture of Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lo-Toga language</span> Austronesian language spoken in Vanuatu

Lo-Toga is an Oceanic language spoken by about 580 people on the islands of Lo and Toga, in the Torres group of northern Vanuatu. The language has sometimes been called Loh [sic] or Toga, after either of its two dialects.

Mwerlap is an Oceanic language spoken in the south of the Banks Islands in Vanuatu.

Ninde, or Labo is an Oceanic language spoken by about 1,100 people in the Southwest Bay area of Malekula island, in Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vurës language</span> Austronesian language spoken in Vanuatu

Vurës is an Oceanic language spoken in the southern area of Vanua Lava Island, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu, by about 2000 speakers.

Ahamb, also spelled Axamb or Akhamb is an Oceanic language spoken in South Malakula, Vanuatu.

Unua, or Onua, is an Oceanic language spoken in south-east Malekula, Vanuatu. It is said to be a dialect of the same language, Unua-Pangkumu, as Rerep (Pangkumu).

Port Sandwich, or Lamap, is an Oceanic language spoken in southeast Malekula, Vanuatu, on the eastern tip of the island. It was first described in 1979 by French linguist Jean-Michel Charpentier.

Nisvai is an Oceanic language spoken in southeast Malekula, Vanuatu, on the eastern tip of the island, by about 200 speakers.

Nasvang is an Oceanic language spoken in southeast Malekula, Vanuatu, by about 275 speakers.

Tirax is an Oceanic language spoken in north east Malakula, Vanuatu.

The Malakula languages are a group of Central Vanuatu languages spoken on Malakula Island in central Vanuatu. Unlike some earlier classifications, linguist and Oceanic languages specialist John Lynch (2016) considered the Malakula languages to form a coherent group.

Najit is a Malakula language of Vanuatu, spoken by less than 5 speakers.

References

  1. 1 2 Malua Bay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Lynch, John (2016). "Malakula Internal Subgrouping: Phonological Evidence". Oceanic Linguistics. 55 (2): 399–431. doi:10.1353/ol.2016.0019. ISSN   0029-8115. JSTOR   26408422.
  3. Barbour, Julie; Wessels, Kanauhea; McCarter, Joe (2018-07-31). "Language Contexts: Malua (Malekula Island, Vanuatu)". Language Documentation and Description. 15. doi:10.25894/ldd142. ISSN   2756-1224.
  4. Wessels, Kanauhea Janion (2013). Malua Bay: A description of the Malua Bay language (Malekula, Vanuatu) (masters thesis). University of Waikato.