Malua Bay language
| Malua Bay | |
|---|---|
| Middle Nambas | |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Malekula |
| Ethnicity | 720 (2001)[1] |
Native speakers | 500 (2009)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mll |
| Glottolog | malu1245 |
| ELP | Malua Bay |
 Malua Bay is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Malua Bay (also called Middle Nambas) is an Oceanic language spoken in northwest Malekula, Vanuatu. It has two main dialects: one spoken in Malua Bay and the other spoken in Espiegles Bay.
Classification
[edit]Malua, as an Oceanic language, belongs to the Austronesian language family. Furthermore, it belongs to the Malekula grouping within the Central Vanuatu subgroup, along with Nese, Botovro, Vovo, Vao, and others.[2]
Community
[edit]Malua is mainly spoken in Malua and Espiegles Bay, with a small amount of speakers in Port Vila. The majority of speakers are bilingual in Bislama, English, or French.[3]
Grammar
[edit]Malua contains a distinction between alienable and inalienable possession. Verbal predicates are marked for either realis or irrealis mood. It also exhibits nominative-accusative alignment.[4]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Malua Bay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Lynch, John (2016). "Malakula Internal Subgrouping: Phonological Evidence". Oceanic Linguistics. 55 (2): 399–431. ISSN 0029-8115.
- ^ Barbour, Julie; Wessels, Kanauhea; McCarter, Joe (2018-07-31). "Language Contexts: Malua (Malekula Island, Vanuatu)". Language Documentation and Description. 15 (0). doi:10.25894/ldd142. ISSN 2756-1224.
- ^ Wessels, Kanauhea Janion (2013). Malua Bay: A description of the Malua Bay language (Malekula, Vanuatu) (masters thesis). University of Waikato.