Santo–Malekula languages

Santo–Malekula
Geographic distribution:	Espiritu Santo and Malakula, Vanuatu
Linguistic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Central-Eastern Southern Oceanic Vanuatu North Vanuatu Santo–Malekula
Subdivisions:	—

Santo–Malekula is a potential group of North Vanuatu languages that emerged from a 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database. The languages were connected at a 90% confidence level.

The languages of this group are unusual in that historical labial consonants have become linguolabial before unrounded vowels, though in some they have progressed further to simple alveolars.

Composition

The languages included in the analysis were:

• Santo: Araki and Merei, West Santo languages, and Sakao, an East Santo language. Fully supported as a unit. Merei is perhaps (60% confidence) closer to Sakao than to Araki.
• Nese, a Coastal Malekula language. It may (70% confidence) be closer to the rest of the Malekula languages than to Santo.
• Malekula, without Nese, fully supported as a unit.
  • Nahavaq–Näti: a Coastal and an Interior Malekula language, fully supported as a unit.
  • Malekula Central languages, fully supported as a unit.