Mwerlap language

Mwerlap
Native to Vanuatu
Region Merelava, Gaua
Native speakers
ca. 1,100 (2012)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 mrm
Glottolog merl1237[2]

Mwerlap is an Oceanic language spoken in the south of the Banks Islands in Vanuatu.

Its 1100 speakers live mostly in Merelava and Merig, but a fair proportion have also settled the east coast of Gaua island.[3] Besides, a number of Mwerlap speakers live in the two cities of Vanuatu, Port Vila and Luganville.

Names

Mwerlap is the name of Merelava island in the language, phonetically [ŋʷɞrlap]. The language is sometimes referred to as Merelava or Merlav in the literature.

Merelava reflects the name of the island in Mota, another language of the Banks Islands. Merlav represents an earlier attempt at transcribing the vernacular name of the island.

Phonology

Mwerlap has 12 phonemic vowels. These include 9 monophthongs /i ɪ ɛ a ɞ ɵ ʉ ɔ ʊ/ and 3 diphthongs /ɛ͡a ɔ͡ɞ ʊ͡ɵ/.[4]

References

  1. François (2012: 88).
  2. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Merlav". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
  3. François (2012: 97).
  4. François (2005: 445, 460).

Bibliography

External links


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