Lakon | |
Pronunciation: | pronounced as /laˈkɔn/ |
Also Known As: | Lakona, Vure |
States: | Vanuatu |
Region: | Gaua |
Speakers: | 800 |
Date: | 2012 |
Ref: | [1] |
Familycolor: | Austronesian |
Fam3: | Oceanic |
Fam4: | Southern Oceanic |
Fam5: | North-Central Vanuatu |
Fam6: | North Vanuatu |
Fam7: | Torres-Banks |
Iso3: | lkn |
Glotto: | lako1245 |
Glottorefname: | Lakon |
Notice: | IPA |
Map: | Lang Status 80-VU.svg |
Lakon is an Oceanic language, spoken on the west coast of Gaua island in Vanuatu.
The language name Lakon pronounced as /laˈkɔn/ refers originally to the area where it is spoken ‒ namely Lakona Bay, corresponding to the west coast of Gaua. The alternative name Lakona pronounced as /lakona/ is from the Mota language. These names are derived from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *laᵑgona, of unknown meaning.
Lakon had four dialects, named Qatareu (Qätärew pronounced as /k͡pʷætæˈrɛw/), Vure (Vurē pronounced as /βuˈrɪ/), Toglatareu, and Togla.
Lakon has 16 phonemic consonants.[2]
Plosive | pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ (q) | pronounced as /link/ (p) | pronounced as /link/ (t) | pronounced as /link/ (j) | pronounced as /link/ (k) | ||
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Nasal | pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ (m̄) | pronounced as /link/ (m) | pronounced as /link/ (n) | pronounced as /link/ (n̄) | |||
Fricative | pronounced as /link/ ~ pronounced as /link/ (v) | pronounced as /link/ (s) | pronounced as /link/ (g) | pronounced as /link/ (h) | |||
Rhotic | pronounced as /link/ (r) | ||||||
Lateral | pronounced as /link/ (l) | ||||||
Approximant | pronounced as /link/ (w) |
Lakon has 16 phonemic vowels. These include 8 short /i ɪ ɛ æ a ɔ ʊ u/ and 8 long vowels /iː ɪː ɛː æː aː ɔː ʊː uː/.[3]
Back | |||
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Near-close | pronounced as /link/ (i) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (ii) | pronounced as /link/ (u) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (uu) | |
Close-mid | pronounced as /link/ (ē) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (ēē) | pronounced as /link/ (ō) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (ōō) | |
Open-mid | pronounced as /link/ (e) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (ee) | pronounced as /link/ (o) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (oo) | |
Near-open | pronounced as /link/ (ä) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (ää) | ||
Open | pronounced as /link/ (a) ∙ pronounced as /link/ (aa) |
Historically, the phonemicisation of vowel length originates in the compensatory lengthening of short vowels when the alveolar trill pronounced as //r// was lost syllable-finally. This is considered to be a very recent change, perhaps within the last century, as Codrington still indicates the trill syllable-finally.[4] However, the 1897 Book of Common Prayer in Lakon shows loss of the trill, as evidenced by tataa pronounced as /taˈtaː/ "prayer" (spelled as tata) for Mota tataro.
The system of personal pronouns in Lakon contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes four numbers (singular, dual, trial, plural).[5]
Spatial reference in Lakon is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is typical of Oceanic languages.[6]