Malekula Interior languages

Malekula Interior
Geographic distribution:	Malakula, Vanuatu
Linguistic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Southern Oceanic North Vanuatu Malekula Interior
Subdivisions:	Labo Malekula Central Small Nambas
Glottolog:	None mala1539  (Malakula)[1]

The dozen Malekula Interior languages are a branch of the North Vanuatu languages.

Languages

The languages have been classified as follows:^[2]

• Ninde (Labo)
• Small Nambas
  • Letemboi
  • Repanbitip
  • Dixon Reef
  • Nasarian
• Malekula Central
  • Avava (Katbol)
  • Lingarak (Neverver)
  • Vinmavis (Neve'ei)
  • Litzlitz (Naman)
  • Larevat
  • Maragus
  • Big Nambas

A number of other, critically endangered or recently extinct languages are or were spoken in the interior of Malekula, and presumably belong with the Malekula Interior languages. They are Aveteian, Navwien, Sörsörian.^[3][4][5] Nisvai–Nasvang–Navwien form a dialect chain, as do Nitita and Vivti.

See also

• Malekula Coastal languages

References

1. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Malakula". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
2. Clark, Ross. 2009. *Leo Tuai: A comparative lexical study of North and Central Vanuatu languages. Canberra ACT.: Pacific Linguistics (Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University).
3. Lynch & Crowley, 2001, Languages of Vanuatu: A New Survey and Bibliography. Australian National University.
4. Charpentier, Jean-Michel (1982). Atlas linguistique du Sud-Malekula — Linguistic Atlas of South Malekula (Vanuatu). Paris: Centre National de la Recherche.
5. Robert Blust, 2013, The Austronesian Languages