| Mwerlap | |
| Also Known As: | Merelava, Merlav |
| Nativename: | N̄wërlap |
| Pronunciation: | pronounced as /ŋʷɞrˈlap/ |
| States: | Vanuatu |
| Region: | Merelava, Gaua |
| Speakers: | ca. 1,100 |
| Date: | 2012 |
| Familycolor: | Austronesian |
| Fam3: | Oceanic |
| Fam4: | Southern Oceanic |
| Fam5: | North-Central Vanuatu |
| Fam6: | North Vanuatu |
| Fam7: | Torres-Banks |
| Iso3: | mrm |
| Glotto: | merl1237 |
| Glottorefname: | Merlav |
| Notice: | IPA |
| Map: | Lang Status 99-NE.svg |
Mwerlap is an Oceanic language spoken in the south of the Banks Islands in Vanuatu.
Its 1,100 speakers live mostly in Merelava and Merig, but a fair proportion have also settled on the east coast of Gaua island. Besides, a number of Mwerlap speakers live in the two cities of Vanuatu, Port Vila and Luganville.
The language is named after Mwerlap, the native name of Merelava island.
Mwerlap has 12 phonemic vowels. These include 9 monophthongs pronounced as //i ɪ ɛ ʉ ɵ ɞ ʊ ɔ a//, and 3 diphthongs pronounced as //ɛ͡a ɔ͡ɞ ʊ͡ɵ//.
| Front | Central rounded | Back | Diphthongs | ||||
| Close | pronounced as /link/ (i) | pronounced as /link/ (u) | |||||
| Near-close | pronounced as /link/ (ē) | pronounced as /link/ (ö) | pronounced as /link/ (ō) | pronounced as /ʊ͡ɵ/ (ōö) | |||
| Open-mid | pronounced as /link/ (e) | pronounced as /link/ (ë) | pronounced as /link/ (o) | pronounced as /ɔ͡ɞ/ (oë) | |||
| Open | pronounced as /link/ (a) | pronounced as /ɛ͡a/ (ea) | |||||
The system of personal pronouns in Mwerlap contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes three numbers (singular, dual, plural).
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | inclusive | no ~ në pronounced as //nɔ//~pronounced as //nœ// | dōrō pronounced as //ⁿdʊrʊ// | gean pronounced as //ɣɛ͡an// | |
| exclusive | kamar pronounced as //kamar// | kemem pronounced as //kɛmɛm// | |||
| 2nd | neak pronounced as //nɛ͡ak// | kamrō pronounced as //kamrʊ// | kemi pronounced as //kɛmi// | ||
| 3rd | (ki)sean pronounced as //(ki)sɛ͡an// | karar pronounced as //karar// | kear pronounced as //kɛ͡ar// | ||
Spatial reference in Mwerlap is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is in part typical of Oceanic languages, and yet innovative.
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