North Vanuatu languages explained

North Vanuatu
Also Known As:	Northern Vanuatu
Region:	Northern Vanuatu
Familycolor:	Austronesian
Fam3:	Oceanic
Fam4:	Southern Oceanic
Fam5:	North-Central Vanuatu
Glotto:	nort3205
Glottorefname:	Northern Vanuatu

The North Vanuatu languages form a linkage of Southern Oceanic languages spoken in northern Vanuatu.

Languages

Clark (2009)

Clark (2009)^[1] provides the following classification of the North Vanuatu languages, divided into two main geographic areas (Torres–Banks–Maewo–Ambae–Pentecost and Santo). Outlier (aberrant) languages identified by Clark (2009) are in italics.^[2]

• North Vanuatu
  • Northern (Torres–Banks–Maewo–Ambae–Pentecost)
    • Torres–Banks languages
      • Torres Islands

Hiw, Lo-Toga (“Loh”)

• • • • Banks Islands

Lehali–Löyöp (“Ureparapara”), Mwotlap–Volow (“Mwotlav”), Lemerig–Vera’a (“Vera'a”), Vurës–Mwesen (“Vurës”), Mota, Nume, Dorig–Koro–Olrat (“South Gaua”), Lakon (“Lakona”), Mwerlap (“Merlav”)

• • • Maewo–Ambae–North Pentecost
      • Maewo

Sun̄wadia, Sun̄wadaga, Baetora

• • • • Ambae

Duidui, Northeast Ambae

• • • • North Pentecost: Raga
      • South Pentecost: Ske (“Seke”); Apma, Sa
  • Espiritu Santo languages
    • Cape Cumberland (Nokuku); Tolomako
    • Wusi, Akei–Tasiriki–Tangoa–Araki (“SW Santo”), Tiale–Merei (“Central Santo”), Kiai, “South-central Santo”, M̈av̈ea (“Mafea”), Tutuba, Aore, Tamambo (“Tamabo”); Mores
    • Southeast Santo, Shark Bay; Sakao

François (2015)

The following list of 9 "Penama" North Vanuatu languages (that is, the North Vanuatu languages excluding the Torres–Banks and Espiritu Santo languages) is from François (2015:18–21).

No.	Language	Other names	Speakers		Region
18			500		Maewo
19			1400		Maewo
20			1330		Maewo
21			5000		Ambae
22			8700		Ambae
23			6500		Pentecost
24			7800		Pentecost
25			300		Pentecost
26			3900

|| sax || Pentecost|}

References

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Notes and References

1. Book: Clark, Ross . 2009 . Leo Tuai: A comparative lexical study of North and Central Vanuatu languages . Canberra . Pacific Linguistics.
2. The language names used by Clark have often been superseded by other names; in that case, the glottonym used by Clark is indicated in brackets.