Nemi language

Summary

The Nemi language is a Kanak language spoken by 320 people in the north of New Caledonia, in the commune of Hienghène. Dialects include Ouanga, Ouélis, and Kavatch.[2]

Nemi
Native toHienghène, New Caledonia
Native speakers
910 (2009 census)[1]
Austronesian
Language codes
ISO 639-3nem
Glottolognemi1240
ELPNemi
Nemi is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
Sample audio of spoken Nemi (intro and last part are French)

Phonology edit

The phonology of Nemi is as follows:[3]

Consonants
Labiovelar Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasals voiced mʷˠ m n ɲ ŋ
voiceless m̥ʷˠ ɲ̥ ŋ̥
Stops tenuis pʷˠ p t c k
aspirated pʷˠʰ
prenasalized ᵐpʷˠ ᵐp ⁿt ᶮc ᵑk
postnasalized pʷˠᵐ pᵐ tⁿ cᶮ kᵑ
Continuants voiced oral w v (l) j
voiceless oral f h
voiced nasal
voiceless nasal w̥̃

Note that the 'labiovelar' consonants are labialized and velarized bilabial consonants (with the exception of /w/ and its voiceless, nasal, and voiceless nasal counterparts, which are labial-velar approximants.).

Vowels
Front Back
short long short long
High i u
Mid e o
Low a

The vowel /a/ actually represents the low central unrounded vowel, /ä/, and not the low front unrounded vowel, /a/.

References edit

  1. ^ Nemi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Isabelle Bril, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Complex Predicates in Oceanic Languages: Studies in the Dynamics of Binding and Boundness (2012), p. 389.
  3. ^ Rivierre, Françoise. 1975. Phonologie du némi (Nouvelle-Calédonie) et notes sur les consonnes postnasalisées. Bulletin de la Société de Linguistique de Paris 70. 345-356.

Bibliography edit

  • Haudricourt, André-Georges; Ozanne-Rivierre, Françoise (1982). Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (Nouvelle-Calédonie) : pije, fwâi, nemi, jawe. Précédé d'une phonologie comparée des langues de Hienghène et du proto-océanien. Paris: Société d'Etudes Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France. p. 285. ISBN 978-2852971349.

External links edit

  • Information about the Nemi language