The Central Vanuatu languages form a
linkage
Linkage may refer to:
* ''Linkage'' (album), by J-pop singer Mami Kawada, released in 2010
*Linkage (graph theory), the maximum min-degree of any of its subgraphs
*Linkage (horse), an American Thoroughbred racehorse
* Linkage (hierarchical cluster ...
of
Southern Oceanic languages
The Southern Oceanic languages are a linkage of Oceanic languages spoken in Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It was proposed by Lynch, Ross, and Crowley in 2002 and supported by later studies. They consider it to be a linkage rather than a language gr ...
spoken in central
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
.
Languages
Clark (2009)
Clark (2009) provides the following classification of the Central Vanuatu languages, divided into geographic areas.
Outlier (aberrant) languages identified by Clark (2009) are in ''italics''. Clark's Central Vanuatu branch is wider in scope, including not only the Shepherd–Efate languages, but also the
Malakula
Malakula Island, 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.
Location
Malakula is separated from the islands of Espiritu Santo and Malo by ...
and Ambrym–Paama–Epi languages.
*Central Vanuatu
**
Malakula languages
The Malakula languages are a group of Central Vanuatu languages spoken on Malakula Island in central Vanuatu. Unlike some earlier classifications, Lynch (2016) considers the Malakula languages to form a coherent group.
Classification
Lynch (2016) ...
***
Northeast Malakula (
Uripiv
Uripiv Island is a small inhabited island in Malampa Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. Uripiv lies off the north coast of Malekula Island. The estimated terrain elevation above the sea level is some 8 meters.
Population
As of 2015, the o ...
),
Vao,
Vovo; ''
Mpotovoro''
***''
Dirak'', ''
Malua Bay''
***''
V’ënen Taut'', ''
Tape''
***''
Larevat'', ''
Neve’ei'', ''
Naman''
***''
Navava'', ''
Nevwervwer''
***
Unua-
Pangkumu
***
Banam Bay,
Aulua
***
Lendamboi; ''
Nasarian''
***
Axamb,
Avok,
Maskelynes,
Port Sandwich
***
Sinesip,
Naha’ai; ''
Ninde''
**Ambrym–Paama–
Epi area
***
Ambrym Island
Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Volcanic activity on the island includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit.
Etymology
Ambrym (also known as ''Ambrin'', ''"ham rim"'' in the Ranon language) ...
:
North Ambrym,
West Ambrym,
South Ambrym
***
Paama Island:
Southeast Ambrym,
Paamese
***
Epi Island
Epi (or Épi, Api; formerly known as Tasiko or Volcano Island) is an island in Shefa Province, Vanuatu, at the north end of the Shepherd Islands.
The island is long northwest–southeast, and wide, with an area of . Its shoreline measures 130 ...
:
Lewo,
Lamen,
Bierebo,
Baki
***
Epi Island
Epi (or Épi, Api; formerly known as Tasiko or Volcano Island) is an island in Shefa Province, Vanuatu, at the north end of the Shepherd Islands.
The island is long northwest–southeast, and wide, with an area of . Its shoreline measures 130 ...
:
Mkir,
Bieria
**Shepherd–Efate area
***
Shepherd Islands
The Shepherd Islands (coordinates ) are a group of islands lying between the larger islands of Epi and Éfaté, in the Shefa province of Vanuatu. The aggregate land area is . They were named by Captain Cook after Anthony Shepherd, a British astro ...
:
Nakanamanga (
Nguna
Nguna Island is an outer island off the north coast of Efate, Vanuatu in Undine Bay.
It is neighbored to the east by Pele Island and to the west by Moso Island.
Geography
The island is bisected by two extinct volcano craters, the highest of ...
); ''
Namakir''
***
Efate Island
Efate (french: Éfaté) is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. It is also known as Île Vate.
Geography
It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanua ...
:
South Efate
François (2015)
The following list of 19 Central Vanuatu languages (excluding the
Malakula languages
The Malakula languages are a group of Central Vanuatu languages spoken on Malakula Island in central Vanuatu. Unlike some earlier classifications, Lynch (2016) considers the Malakula languages to form a coherent group.
Classification
Lynch (2016) ...
) is from François (
2015:18-21).
Additionally, the extinct
Sowa language was formerly spoken in central Vanuatu.
References
* .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Vanuatu Languages
Southern Oceanic languages
Languages of Vanuatu