Hiw language
| Hiw | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Hiw |
Native speakers | 280 (2012)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | hiw |
| Glottolog | hiww1237 |
| ELP | Hiw |
Hiw (sometimes spelled Hiu) is an Oceanic language spoken on the island of Hiw, in the Torres Islands of Vanuatu.[2]
It is distinct from Lo-Toga, the other language of the Torres group.
The language
Hiw has 280 speakers, and is considered endangered.[3][4]
Phonology
Vowels
Hiw has 9 phonemic vowels. These are all short monophthongs /i ɪ e ɵ ə a ʉ o ɔ/.[5]
Consonants
Hiw has 14 consonants.[5]
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labiovelar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p | t | k | kʷ | |
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ŋʷ | |
| Fricative | β | s | ɣ | w | |
| Prestopped lateral |
ɡ͡ʟ | ||||
| Glide | j |
All plosives are voiceless. Hiw is the only Austronesian language whose consonant inventory includes a prestopped velar lateral approximant /ɡ͡ʟ/; this complex segment is Hiw's only liquid.[6]
References
- ^ François (2012):88).
- ^ François (2005:444)
- ^ François (2012):100).
- ^ UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger: Hiw.
- ^ a b François (2010a:396)
- ^ François (2010a)
Bibliography
- François, Alexandre (2005), "Unraveling the history of vowels in seventeen north Vanuatu languages", Oceanic Linguistics, 44 (2): 443–504, doi:10.1353/ol.2005.0034
- François, Alexandre (2010a), "Phonotactics and the prestopped velar lateral of Hiw: Resolving the ambiguity of a complex segment", Phonology, 27 (3): 393–434, doi:10.1017/s0952675710000205
- François, Alexandre (2010b), "Pragmatic demotion and clause dependency: On two atypical subordinating strategies in Lo-Toga and Hiw (Torres, Vanuatu)", in Bril, Isabelle (ed.), Clause hierarchy and Clause linking: The Syntax and Pragmatics interface, Studies in Language Companion Series 121, Amsterdam: Benjamins, pp. 499–548, ISBN 978-90-272-0588-9
- François, Alexandre (2012), "The dynamics of linguistic diversity: Egalitarian multilingualism and power imbalance among northern Vanuatu languages", International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 214: 85–110, doi:10.1515/ijsl-2012-0022
External links
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