Southwest Tanna | |
Also Known As: | Nawal |
States: | Vanuatu |
Region: | Tanna Island |
Speakers: | 4,500 |
Date: | 2011 |
Ref: | e18 |
Familycolor: | Austronesian |
Fam2: | Malayo-Polynesian |
Fam3: | Oceanic |
Fam4: | Southern Oceanic |
Fam5: | South Vanuatu |
Fam6: | Tanna |
Iso3: | nwi |
Glotto: | sout2869 |
Glottorefname: | Southwest Tanna |
Map: | Lang Status 99-NE.svg |
Southwest Tanna is a dialect chain spoken on the southwestern coast of Tanna Island in Vanuatu. Lynch (1982) names three major dialects: Nivhaal in the north-west of the language area (spelt "Nauvhal" in publicity for the 2015 film Tanna), Nivai in the south-west, and Nelpwaai in the north-east.[1]