Lehali language

Lehali (previously known as Teqel) is a Oceanic language spoken by about 200 people, on the west coast of Ureparapara Island in Vanuatu.[1] It is distinct from Löyöp, the language spoken on the east coast of the same island.

Lehali
Loli
Native toVanuatu
RegionUreparapara
Native speakers
200 (2010)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3tql
Glottologleha1243[2]

Phonology

Lehali has 10 phonemic vowels. These are all short monophthongs /i ɪ ɛ æ ə a ɒ̝ ɔ ʊ u/:[4]

Lehali vowels
Front Central Back
Close iu
Near-close ɪʊ
Mid ə
Open-mid ɛɔ
Near-open æɒ̝
Open a

Grammar

The system of personal pronouns in Lehali contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes four numbers (singular, dual, trial, plural).[5]

Spatial reference in Lehali is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is in part typical of Oceanic languages, and yet innovative.[6]

References

  1. List of Banks islands languages.
  2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Lehali". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. A rough translation can be found in the comments to the Youtube version of this video.
  4. François 2011, p. 194.
  5. François 2016.
  6. François 2015, pp. 175–176.

Bibliography


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