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Torres–Banks Languages
The Torres–Banks languages form a linkage of Southern Oceanic languages spoken in the Torres Islands and Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu. Languages François (2011) recognizes 17 languages spoken by 9,400 people in 50 villages, including 16 living (3 of which are moribund) and one extinct language. François (2011). The 17 languages, ranked from northwest to southeast, are: : Comparative studies A. François has published several studies comparing various features of the Torres–Banks languages: * François (2005): Inventories of vowel systems, and their historical development; * François (2007): Systems of noun articles, and their historical development; * François (2009): How several languages grammaticalized a set of light personal pronouns into markers for “aorist” aspect; * François (2011): How Torres–Banks languages tend to show structural isomorphism, yet lexical diversity; * François (2013): Etymological reconstruction of spiritual terms in Torres–B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torres Islands
The Torres Islands are in the Torba Province of the country of Vanuatu, and is that country’s the northernmost island group. The chain of islands that make up this micro-archipelago straddles the broader cultural boundary between Island Melanesia and several Polynesian outliers located in the neighbouring Solomon Islands. To the island chain’s north is Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands, to its south is Espiritu Santo, and to its southeast are the Banks Islands. To the west, beneath the ocean surface, is the deep Torres Trench, which is the subduction zone between the Australian and Pacific plates. The seven islands in the Torres group, from north to south, are Hiw or ''Hiu'' (the largest), Metoma, Tegua, Ngwel (an uninhabited islet), Linua, Lo or ''Loh'', and Toga. The island chain stretches across . The highest point of the chain is only above sea level. These islands are less rugged than the other islands of Vanuatu that lie further to the south. Contrary to popul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toga Island
Toga is an island in the Torres group, within the Torba Province of Vanuatu. Geography Toga Island is the most southern of the Torres Islands. The island's size is 6 km by 4.5 km. The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is 104 meters. Toga is surrounded by a narrow fringing reef quickly dropping off into deep water. The summit of the island is Mt Lemeura (locally ''Lēmere'' ) located on the western side of the island. The climate on Toga is humid tropical. The average annual rainfall is about 4000 mm. The island is subject to frequent cyclones and earthquakes. Population Toga is the most populated island in the Torres Islands, with about 250 people. They speak the ''Toga'' dialect of the Lo-Toga language. The population lives in two villages: ''Liqal'' and ''Litew'' . An ancient village, now abandoned, was called ''Qururetaqō'' . Fauna Barn owls are known to live in the area. Many samples of the owl's bones were found in a cave in Toga, which were rev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mota Island
Mota (formerly ''Sugarloaf Island'') is an island in the Banks group of northern Vanuatu, with a population of about 700. Name The name ''Mota'' is an adaptation of the local name ''M̄ota'' . Cognates in other Torres-Banks languages include Mwotlap ''Am̄ot'' , Vera'a ''M̄ō'o'' , and Vurës ''M̄ot'' . They are all derived from a form *''mʷota'' in Proto-Torres-Banks, referring to the island. The form is possibly cognate with Proto-Polynesian * ''motu'' "island", from Proto-Oceanic ''*motus'' "broken off, detached". The same root is found in Mota Lava, the name of an island north of Mota ‒ etymologically, "big Mota". Geography Mota is located 18 km south of Mota Lava and 12 km east of Vanua Lava, the second-largest island in the Banks archipelago. The slightly oval island has a length of 5 km and has an area of 9.5 km². Mota is formed by an extinct, basaltic volcano, which reaches an altitude of 411 m above sea level in Mount Tawe. The island ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mota Language
Mota is an Oceanic language spoken by about 750 people on Mota island, in the Banks Islands of Vanuatu. The language (named after the island) is one of the most conservative Torres–Banks languages, and the only one to keep its inherited five-vowel system intact while also preserving most final vowels. History During the period 1840-1940, Mota was used as a missionary ''lingua franca'' throughout areas of Oceania included in the Melanesian Mission, an Anglican missionary agency. Mota was used on Norfolk Island, in religious education; on other islands with different vernacular languages, it served as the language of liturgical prayers, hymns, and some other religious purposes. Elizabeth Fairburn Colenso translated religious material into the language. Robert Henry Codrington compiled the first dictionary of Mota (1896), and worked with George Sarawia and others to produce a large number of early publications in this language. Phonology Phoneme inventory Mota phonemically con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mwesen Language
Mwesen (formerly known by its Mota name ''Mosina'') is an Oceanic language spoken in the southeastern area of Vanua Lava Island, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu, by about 10 speakers. François (2012): 88). Mwesen shows many similarities with the island's dominant language Vurës, to such an extent that they have sometimes been considered dialects of a single language. However, studies have shown that Mwesen and Vurës have various dissimilarities, e.g. in their vowel systems, in their noun articles, in their pronoun paradigms. François (2009), François (2016). Name The name ''Mwesen'' is originally the name of a village, in the eastern part of Vanua Lava; it is spelled ''M̄ēsēn'' both in Mwesen itself, and in neighbouring Vurës. The village is known as ''Am̄sēn'' (with locative prefix ''a-'') in Mwotlap, and as ''M̄osina'' (modern: ''M̄osna'' ) in Mota. All these different names are derived from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *''mʷosina''. The old Mota ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vurës Language
Vurës (Vureas, Vures) is an Oceanic language spoken in the southern area of Vanua Lava Island, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu, by about 2000 speakers. Vurës was described by linguist Catriona Malau, in the form of a grammar and a dictionary. Name The name ''Vurës'' is named after the bay located in southwestern Vanua Lava in the language itself. In Mota, the bay is referred to as ''Vureas'' . These come from a reconstructed Proto-Torres-Banks form *''βureas(i,u)''. Dialectology Vurës shows enough similarities with the neighbouring language Mwesen that the two have sometimes been considered dialects of a single language, sometimes called ''Mosina'' (after the name of Mwesen village in the language Mota). And indeed, a 2018 glottometric study has calculated that Vurës and Mwesen share 85% of their historical innovations, revealing a long history of shared development between these two lects. Kalyan & François 2018. However, studies have shown that Mwesen and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vera'a Language
Vera'a , formerly known by its Mota name ''Vatrata'', is an Oceanic language spoken on the western coast of Vanua Lava Island, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu. Vera'a was described in 2011 by linguist Stefan Schnell. Schnell (2011). Name The language ''Vera'a'' is named after the village where it is spoken. This village is known locally as ''Vera'a'' , even though foreigners often ''Vatrata'' after its name in Mota. These names ultimately reflect a protoform *''βaturata'' in Proto-Torres-Banks — literally "flat stone": *''βatu'' "stone" (< *) + *''rata'' "flat" (< *''rataR'' < [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanua Lava
Vanua Lava is the second largest of the Banks Islands in Torba Province, Vanuatu, after slightly larger Gaua. It is located about 120 km north-northeast of Espiritu Santo and north of Gaua. Name The name ''Vanua Lava'' comes from the Mota language, which was used as the primary language of the Melanesian Mission. Locally, the island is called ''Vōnōlav'' / in Vurës language, Vurës and Mwesen language, Mwesen, ''Vunulava'' in Vera'a language, Vera'a, and ''Vunulāv'' in Lemerig language, Lemerig. In the immigrant language Mwotlap language, Mwotlap, it is referred to as ''Apnōlap'' (with the locative prefix ''a-''). All of these terms come from a Proto-Torres–Banks language, Proto-Torres-Banks form *''vanua, βanua laβa'' "Large Land". History Vanua Lava was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós from 25 to 29 April 1606. The island’s name was then charted as ''Portal de Belén'' (“Nativity scene” in Spanish l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lemerig Language
Lemerig is an Oceanic language spoken on Vanua Lava, in Vanuatu. Lemerig is no longer actively spoken. The 2 remaining speakers live on the northern coast of the island. The language has receded in favour of its neighbours Mwotlap and Vera'a. Name The name ''Lemerig'' (spelled ''Lēmērig'' in the local orthography) refers to a now abandoned village in northern Vanua Lava. Its name in Mwotlap is ''Lemyig'' . It is likely the name contains a descendant of the Proto-Torres-Banks word ''*riɣi'' meaning "small". Dialects Lemerig has sometimes been referred to using the names of its local varieties: ''Päk''; ''Sasar''; ''Alo-Teqel''. Judging from wordlists published by missionary and linguist Robert Codrington,See Codrington 1885pp.39-52 sqq. these three varieties were very close to each other. The little differences there were went extinct during the 20th century. Phonology Lemerig has 11 phonemic vowels. These are all short monophthongs . Grammar The system of person ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mwotlap Language
Mwotlap (pronounced ; formerly known as ''Motlav'') 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 (or ''Aya'') and Vanua Lava, as well as migrant groups in the two main cities of the country, Santo and Port Vila. Mwotlap was first described in any detail in 2001, by the linguist Alexandre François. Volow, which used to be spoken on the same island, may be considered a dialect or a separate language. The language Name The language is named after the island. Geographic distribution Mwotlap is spoken by about 2,100 people in the Banks Islands, in the North of Vanuatu. Among them, 1,640 live on the island of Mota Lava and its neighbor island, Ra. It is also spoken by a few hundred people living elsewhere in Vanuatu: * Vanua Lava, particularly in the northeast * Several other northern Vanuatu islands including Ureparapara, Gaua, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mota Lava
Mota Lava or Motalava is an island of the Banks Islands, Banks group, in the north of Vanuatu. It forms a single coral system with the Ra Island, small island of Ra. The 2009 Vanuatu Census, 2009 census figures give a population of 1640 inhabitants (Mota Lava + Ra island, Ra), which amounts to a population density of 67 people per km². Geography Geography and geology With an area of 24 km2 (9.3 sq mi), Mota Lava is the fourth largest island in the Banks Islands, after Gaua, Vanua Lava and Ureparapara. It is the highest () of the eastern chain of islands, as well as the largest. Ra Island, Ra, a small island of , is located off the southern coast of Mota Lava. It is attached to it by high corals that one can wade through at low tide. The climate on Mota Lava is humid tropical. The average annual rainfall exceeds 4000 mm. The island is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones. The island is served by Mota Lava Airport. Geology Mota Lava is composed of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volow Language
Volow (formerly known as ''Valuwa'' or ''Valuga'') is an Oceanic language variety which used to be spoken in the area of Aplow, in the eastern part of the island of Motalava, in Vanuatu. Name The name ''Volow'' is originally a placename: it corresponds to the area known as Aplow, but in the local language Volow rather than in Mwotlap. This form, pronounced , is derived from Proto-Torres-Banks *''βaluwa''. In neighboring Mwotlap, the same area is called ''Aplow'' (with locative prefix ''a-''), and in Mota, it is called ''Valuwa'' . Both of these are nowadays used as alternative names for the area. Sociolinguistics Volow has receded historically in favour of the now dominant language Mwotlap. It is now only remembered by a single passive speaker, who lives in the village of Aplow — the new name of what was previously known as Volow. The similarity of Volow with Mwotlap is such that the two communalects may be considered dialects of a single language. Phonology Volo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
