| Namakura | |
|---|---|
| Namakir | |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Shepherds Islands (Tongoa & Tongariki), north of Efate |
Native speakers | 3,800 (2001)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nmk |
| Glottolog | nama1268 |
 Namakura is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
The Namakura language, Makura or Namakir, is an Oceanic language of Vanuatu. The language is spoken in Shefa Province, north Efate, Tongoa, and Tongariki. It is the only North-Central Vanuatu language to have preserved the Proto-Oceanic *q, reflected as a glottal stop.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Coronal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | |||||
| Nasal | m | mʷ | n | ŋ | ||
| Plosive | voiceless | p | pʷ | t | k | ʔ |
| prenasal | ᵐb | ᵐbʷ | ⁿd | ᵑɡ | ||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | h | ||
| voiced | v | |||||
| Approximant | w | l | ||||
| Rhotic | r | |||||
- /v/ may also range to bilabial as [β], in free variation.
- /h/ can also range to uvular as [χ], in free variation.
- /ⁿd/ can also range to a retroflex [ᶯɖ] in free variation. When followed by a /r/, it is then realized as a trilled-articulated sound [ⁿdʳ, ᶯɖʳ].
- /r/ can be heard as a flap [ɾ] in initial position and as a trill [r] elsewhere.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid | e eː | o oː | |
| Open | a aː |
- Two nasal vowel sounds [ẽ õ] are also rarely heard.
- /i/ when preceding a vowel can be heard as a glide [j].[2]
External links
- Materials on Makura are included in a number of collections held by Paradisec.
References
- Ray, Sydney H. (1897). "Vocabulary and Grammatical Notes on the Language of Makura, Central New Hebrides". The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 26: 67–73. doi:10.2307/2842333. JSTOR 2842333.
Notes
- ↑ Namakura at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ↑ Sperlich, Wolfgang B. (1991). Namakir: a description of a central Vanuatu language. University of Auckland.
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