Avava language
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2019) ) |
Avava | |
---|---|
Katbol | |
Native to | Malekula |
Native speakers | 700 (2001)[1] |
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | tmb |
Glottolog | katb1237 |
ELP | Avava |
Avava is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger |
Avava (Navava), also known as Katbol, Tembimbe-Katbol, or Bangsa’ is an
The four Avava-speaking villages speak or spoke, distinct dialects. Timbembe and Nevaar (Nɨviar) are still spoken. The Nivat (Nevat) and Bangasa (Umbrul) dialects are extinct. Bangasa/Bangsa', or more correctly Bangasak, was known as Numbuwul by its neighbors to the north; the endonym is Umbbuul [(u)ᵐʙuːl].
Phonology
When the final syllable is light (CV), stress tends to be penultimate. When the final syllable is heavy (CVC, CVV, CVː), stress tends to be final.
Vowels
There are a total of eight vowel quantities in Avava: five short vowels and three long vowels. The five short Avava vowel qualities, /a e i o u/. /u/ is pronounced [ʉ] between a bilabial trill and an alveolar and, in final syllables, between a bilabial trill and /k/. About 2% of vowels are long. Long /eː/ is not attested, and long /oː/ is marginal. This is a pattern shared with
A notable variant of the same phoneme shown with short vowels is when /u/ undergoes centralisation to [ʉ] in two different settings: in closed syllables between a
The three long vowels in Avava are /i:/, /u:/, and /a:/. Though there is evidence for the long /o:/, the vowel is only shown in three words throughout the entire lexicon of Avava.
Consonants
Avava consonant inventory Labial Coronal Dorsal Glottal plain labialized Nasal m mʷ nŋ Plosive voiceless p (pʷ) tk prenasalized ᵐb ᵐbʷ ⁿd ᵑɡ Fricative v vʷ s̠[ɣ] h Trill ᵐbʙ⁽ʷ⁾ ⁿdʳTap ɾ Approximant w lj
/s/ is
/h/ does not occur at the beginning of a word. Labialized consonants are only found before /a e i/. There are some grammatical contexts and perhaps random situations when word-initial /k/ and /t/ are replaced by /ɡ/ and /d/. /pʷ/ is known from only a single word. Word-final /k/ is lost when the word is suffixed or followed by a modifier.
The prenasalized trills may be described as /mʙ, nr/, with the quite audible stop analyzed as
Consonant allophones
Prenasalization is maintained after oral consonants, e.g. [ⁿdirⁿdir] 'earthquake', but is lost after a nasal, e.g. [luᵑɡamɡem] 'bamboo roof pins'. Prenasalized stops are occasionally devoiced word finally, e.g. [aⁿdʳaᵐb ~ aⁿdʳaᵐp] 'mud'.
/p/ occasionally has a trilled release when followed by /ur/: [pʰura ~ pʙ̥ura] 'spit'.
Nasals and liquids are syllabified in word-final CN, CL clusters and in medial CNC, CLC clusters: [ᵑɡitn̩tl̩] 'we (paucal inclusive)', [kopm̩tl̩] 'we (paucal exclusive)'.
/k/ is [k] word-initially, word-finally, before another consonant, and between front vowels; it is also the more common allophone between front and non-front vowels. It is [ɣ] between identical non-front vowels, and this is the more common allophone between non-identical non-front vowels.
/v, vʷ/ are generally [f, fʷ] word-initially.
Nouns and Noun Phrases
Pronouns
The use of pronouns in Avava refer to what person the subject is in, the number of speakers, and the inclusivity, as shown in the table below
singular | dual | paucal | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st person | exclusive | na | kopmdru | kopmtl | kopm |
inclusive | gitdru | gitntl | git | ||
2nd person | ong | kamdru | kamtl | kam | |
3rd person | e | ierdru | iertl | ier |
The paucal form of a word vs the plural form of the word is generally characterized by the number of subjects. The paucal pronouns include a small number, greater than two but less than ten. The paucal and plural forms also differ systemically as they differ in the suffixes -dur and -tl.
Nominalization
The Avava language utilizes the process of nominalization to create words from pre-existing ones. Verbal nominalization of words involve the addition of the suffix -ian.
ran
'dawn'
→
→
ran-ian
'dawning'
sasar
'teach'
→
→
sasar-ian
'teaching'
In some cases, the nominalized form of a reduplicated verb contains the unreduplicated root.
ngarnar
'breathe'
→
→
ngar-ian
'breath'
Another pattern of nominalization involves the addition of the suffix -ian as well as the addition of the first vowel of the word to the beginning of the word to create a noun from a verb.
kan
'eat'
→
→
a-kan-iar
'food'
per
'work'
→
→
e-per-ian
'job'
Place of origin
The prefix, ma-, when added to the name of a place, refers to a person that is from that specified area.
Viar
'Viar'
→
→
Ma-Viar
'people of Viar'
Possession
Nouns in Avava can be divided into two categories: directly possessed nouns and indirectly possessed nouns.
Directly possessed nouns
The following generalizations can be given on the subject of these types of nouns:
- most external body parts
- many internal organs, though some do not fall under this category
- some bodily products (saliva), though many do not fall under this category
- many body parts and products associated with these animals
- some kin terms (son/daughter)
- many parts of trees and plants
References
- Crowley, Terry (2006). The Avava language of central Malakula (Vanuatu). Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University.
- ^ Avava at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
External links
- PARADISEC open-access archive of Avava language recordings