Maskelynes language
In this article, we will address the topic of Maskelynes language from different perspectives, with the aim of delving into its importance and relevance today. Maskelynes language is a topic that has aroused great interest in various areas, generating debate and reflection in society. Along these lines, we will analyze the different dimensions of Maskelynes language, offering the reader a broad and complete vision of this topic. From its historical origin to its impact on the present, through its implications in the social, economic and cultural sphere, this article seeks to provide a comprehensive look at Maskelynes language and its influence in the current world.
| Maskelynes | |
|---|---|
| Kuliviu, Uliveo | |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Malekula |
Native speakers | 1,100 (2001) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | klv |
| Glottolog | mask1242 |
 Maskelynes is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Maskelynes (/ˈmæskəlɪns/), or Kuliviu (Uliveo), is an Oceanic language spoken on the Maskelyne Islands off south Malekula, Vanuatu.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Coronal | Dorsal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | labiovelarized | ||||
| Nasal | m | mʷ | n | ŋ | |
| Plosive | unvoiced | p | pʷ | t̪ | k |
| voiced | ᵐb | ᵐbʷ | ⁿd̪ | ᵑg | |
| Fricative | β | βʷ | s | x~ɣ~ʀ | |
| Approximant | w | l | j | ||
| Rhotic | r~ɾ | ||||
- /ᵐb, ⁿd, ᵑg/ are in free variation as unreleased or unvoiced word-finally or before a consonant
- /ᵑg/ is also in free variation as nasal word-finally, especially among young speakers
- /ᵑg/ is realized as a voiceless among some speakers, especially young
- /p, pʷ, t/ are unreleased word-finally or before a consonant (though /p/ has never been recorded before a consonant)
- /mʷ, pʷ, ᵐbʷ, βʷ/ lose their labialization word-finally when not followed by a vowel and before /o, u/
- /βʷ/ is before voiced consonants
- /β, βʷ/ are before voiceless consonants and word-finally
- /β/ is in free variation with for some speakers
- /w, j/ are vocalic when in nucleus following /e, a, o/
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u (u̥) | |
| Mid | ɛ | ə | o |
| Open | ɑ |
- /i/ is near-close between front consonants
- /ɛ/ is close-mid word-finally
- /ə/ is after labiovelarized consonants or before /xu̥/
- /əj, əw/ are realised as single morphemes,
- /u/ is realised as front between front consonants, and near-close when proceeded or preceded by back consonants
- /o/ is front between front consonants
Voiceless vowel
A voiceless occurs at the ends of words. It is uncertain if it is an allophone of /u/ or a separate phoneme
Phonotactics
Possible syllable structures in Maskelynes: (C/S)V(S)(C)
Letter-to-phoneme correspondence
| Letter | a | b | b̃ | d | e | ǝ | g | h | i | k | l | m | m̃ | n | ŋ | o | p | p̃ | r | s | t | u | w | v | ṽ | w/u | y/i |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | ɑ | ᵐb | ᵐbʷ | ⁿd̪ | ɛ | ə | ᵑɡ | x | i | k | l | m | mʷ | n | ŋ | o | p | pʷ | r | s | t̪ | u | u̥ | β | βʷ | w | j |
Grammar
Verbs
The verbs of Maskelynes are agglutinative, mostly being modified by prefixes, though the stem of a verb can stand on its own. These prefixes encode for, in order of appearance in verb: 1. tense-aspect-modes; 2. subject, person and number; 3. various modes, including realis and irrealis; 4. two tense-modes; 5. reduplication. The object of a sentence is encoded by a suffix.
Examples of verbal agglutination:
sa-g-e-mun-i
PROH-2SG.SUBJ-IRR-drink-3SG.OBJ
Don't you drink it.
go-to-madha-mun-mun-i
2SG.SUBJ-REL-IMM.PST-ITER~drink-3SG.OBJ
You who just now kept drinking it
Reduplication
Reduplication in Maskelynes has various usages, and can encode for e.g. plurality, habituality, iterative aspect, etc.
External links
- Resources in and about the Maskelynes language at OLAC
- Paradisec has a number of collections that include Maskelynes language materials
- Maskelynes (Kuliviu) at Omniglot
References
- ^ Maskelynes at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Healey 2013, pp. 14–15.
- ^ a b c Healey 2013, p. 15.
- ^ Healey 2013, p. 13.
- ^ Healey 2013, p. 19.
- ^ a b c Healey 2013, p. 17.
- ^ a b Healey 2013, pp. 18–19.
- ^ a b c Healey 2013, p. 20.
- ^ a b Healey 2013, p. 21.
- ^ Healey 2013, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Healey 2013, p. 25.
- ^ Healey 2013, Section 8.1: Verb morphology.
- ^ Healey 2013, p. 181.
- ^ Healey 2013, section 8.5: Reduplication.
Bibliography
- Healey, David S. (2013). A GRAMMAR OF MASKELYNES: THE LANGUAGE OF ULUVEU ISLAND, VANUATU (PDF) (PhD). University of the South Pacific. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2020-05-31.