| Halia | |
| Also Known As: | Selau |
| States: | Papua New Guinea |
| Region: | Buka Island, Selau Peninsula |
| Speakers: | 25,000 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| Ref: | e25 |
| Familycolor: | Austronesian |
| Fam3: | Oceanic |
| Fam4: | Western |
| Fam5: | Meso-Melanesian |
| Fam6: | Northwest Solomonic |
| Fam7: | Nehan–Bougainville |
| Fam8: | Buka |
| Fam9: | Halia–Hakö |
| Iso3: | hla |
| Glotto: | hali1244 |
| Glottorefname: | Halia |
Halia is an Austronesian language of Buka Island and the Selau Peninsula of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea.
The phonology of the Halia language:[1]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||
| Plosive | voiceless | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| voiced | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||||
| Affricate | pronounced as /link/ ~ pronounced as /link/ | ||||||
| Fricative | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||||
| Lateral | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||
| Rhotic | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||
| Semivowel | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||||
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||
| pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Mid | (pronounced as /link/) | pronounced as /link/ | ||
| pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Low | pronounced as /link/ |
Diphthong vowel sounds include pronounced as //ei, au, ou//.
pronounced as /link/ exists, but not as a monophthong.
| Phoneme | Allophones | |
|---|---|---|
| pronounced as //b// | pronounced as /link/ | |
| pronounced as //ɡ// | pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/ | |
| pronounced as //ts// | pronounced as /link/ | |
| pronounced as //r// | pronounced as /link/ | |
| pronounced as //a// | pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/ | |
| pronounced as //ʊ// | pronounced as /link/ | |
| pronounced as //ei// | pronounced as /link/, [ɛi], pronounced as /link/ |
There are four sets of pronouns. The first set functions as the subject when preceding the verb. Set 2 functions as a subject or object when following the verb. Set 3 is used for inalienable possession. Set 4 is used for alienable possession. There is an inclusive/exclusive first person distinction.
| 1SG | alia | lia | -r | i tar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2SG | alö | lö | -mulö | i tamulö | |
| 3SG | nonei | -en | -nen | i tanen | |
| 1PL (incl.) | ara | ra | -rara | i tarara | |
| 1PL (excl.) | alam | lam | -mulam | i tamulam | |
| 2PL | alimiu | limiu | -milimiu | i tamilimiu | |
| 3PL | nori | -en | -ren | i taren |
In the 1960s Francis Hagai produced a series of liturgies in Halia as part of his work with the Hahalis Welfare Society.[3]