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Torres–Banks languages

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Torres–Banks
Geographic
distribution
Torres Islands and Banks Islands, Torba Province, northern Vanuatu
Linguistic classificationAustronesian
Proto-languageProto-Torres-Banks
Language codes
Glottologtorr1262

The Torres–Banks languages form a linkage of Southern Oceanic languages spoken in the Torres Islands and Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.

Languages

François (2011) recognizes 17 languages spoken by 9,400 people in 50 villages, including 16 living (3 of which are moribund) and one extinct language.[1]

The 17 languages, ranked from northwest to southeast, are:[1]: 181 

Language Number of speakers ISO 639-3 code Island(s) spoken
Hiw 280 [hiw] Hiw
Lo-Toga 580 [lht] Tegua, Lo, Toga
Lehali 200 [tql] Ureparapara
Löyöp 240 [urr] Ureparapara
Volow extinct [mlv] Mota Lava
Mwotlap 2100 [mlv] Mota Lava
Lemerig 2 (moribund) [lrz] Vanua Lava
Vera'a 500 [vra] Vanua Lava
Vurës 2000 [msn] Vanua Lava
Mwesen 10 (moribund) [msn] Vanua Lava
Mota 750 [mtt] Mota
Nume 700 [tgs] Gaua
Dorig 300 [wwo] Gaua
Koro 250 [krf] Gaua
Olrat 3 (moribund) [olr] Gaua
Lakon 800 [lkn] Gaua
Mwerlap 1100 [mrm] Merelava

Comparative studies

A. François has published several studies comparing various features of the Torres–Banks languages:

  • François (2005): Inventories of vowel systems, and their historical development;
  • François (2007): Systems of noun articles, and their historical development;
  • François (2009): How several languages grammaticalized a set of light personal pronouns into markers for “aorist” aspect;
  • François (2011): How Torres–Banks languages tend to show structural isomorphism, yet lexical diversity;
  • François (2013): Etymological reconstruction of spiritual terms in Torres–Banks languages;
  • François (2015): Systems of geocentric space directionals, and their historical development;
  • François (2016): Historical morphology of personal pronouns.

François (2012) is a sociolinguistic study of the area.

Genealogical structure of the Torres–Banks linkage

The internal structure of the Torres–Banks linkage was assessed based on the Comparative method, and presented in the framework of historical glottometry (François 2014, 2017; Kalyan & François 2018).

Kalyan & François (2018: 81) identified the following best-supported subgroups (in decreasing order of genealogical closeness):

  • Mwotlap – Volow
  • Hiw – Lo-Toga
  • Vurës – Mwesen
  • Lemerig – Vera'a
  • Koro – Olrat – Lakon
  • Dorig – Koro – Olrat – Lakon
  • Olrat – Lakon
  • Lehali – Löyöp – Mwotlap – Volow
  • 15 Banks languages together (Lehali – Löyöp – Mwotlap – Volow – Lemerig – Vera'a – Vurës – Mwesen – Mota – Nume – Dorig – Koro – Olrat – Lakon – Mwerlap)
  • etc.

Proto-language

Notes

References