Amba language (Solomon Islands) explained

Amba
Nativename:Aba
States:Solomon Islands
Region:Utupua
Speakers:590
Date:1999
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Austronesian
Fam3:Oceanic
Fam4:Temotu
Fam5:Utupua
Iso3:utp
Glotto:amba1266
Glottorefname:Amba (Solomon Islands)
Map:Lang Status 99-NE.svg

Amba (also known as Aba, Nembao or Nebao) is the main language spoken on the island of Utupua, in the easternmost province of the Solomon Islands.[1]

Name

The speaker population calls their own language pronounced as /aᵐba/ (with prenasalised pronounced as /ᵐb/). This name may be rendered Amba or Aba depending on spelling conventions, which have not been fixed yet for these languages.

Speakers of neighbouring Asumboa designate the Amba language as pronounced as /neᵐbao/. This form, which may be spelled Nembao or Nebao, has sometimes been used by foreigners as another name for the Amba language.

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. [#DT1994|Tryon (1994)]