Kiai language
{{short description|Austronesian language spoken in Vanuatu}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Kiai
|altname=Fortsenal
|nativename=Vara Kiai
|states=Vanuatu
|region=Espiritu Santo Island
|speakers=450
|date=2001
|ref=e18
|nation=Vanuatu
|familycolor=Austronesian
|fam2=Malayo-Polynesian
|fam3=Oceanic
|fam4=Southern Oceanic
|fam5=North-Central Vanuatu
|fam6=North Vanuatu
|fam7=Espiritu Santo
|iso3=frt
|glotto=fort1240
|glottorefname=Kiai
|map = Lang Status 99-NE.svg
|mapcaption = {{center|{{small|Kiai is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger}}}}
}}
Kiai is an Oceanic language spoken by about 450 people in the central highlands of Espiritu Santo island (Sanma Province), in Vanuatu.{{cite book |last1=François|first1=Alexandre|last2=Franjieh|first2=Michael|last3=Lacrampe|first3=Sébastien|last4=Schnell|first4=Stefan|editor-last=François|editor-first=Alexandre|editor2-last=Lacrampe|editor2-first=Sébastien|editor3-last=Franjieh|editor3-first=Michael|editor4-last=Schnell|editor4-first=Stefan|date=2015|title=The Languages of Vanuatu: Unity and Diversity|chapter=The exceptional linguistic density of Vanuatu|contribution-url=https://marama.huma-num.fr/data/Francois-et-al_2015_Languages-of-Vanuatu_Intro-chapter.pdf |url=https://hdl.handle.net/1885/14819 |publisher=Asia Pacific Linguistics Open Access|location=Canberra|pages=1–21|isbn=9781922185235}}
Name
The name Kiai derives from kiai, meaning "no", due to a trend in the area to name languages based on their word for "no", used as a linguistic shibboleth. The language is called vara Kiai (from vara "speech, language"), i.e. 'the language that says kiai [for no]".
The same language has been named Fortsenal, based on the name of the village (locally Vorozenale) where the speakers live.{{cite book |last=Clark |first=Ross |title=Leo Tuai: A comparative lexical study of North and Central Vanuatu languages |date=2009 |publisher=Pacific Linguistics |location=Canberra |issn=1448-8310 |doi=10.15144/PL-603 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1885/146751}}
Notes
{{reflist}}
References
- Vara Kiai: a Kiai wordlist / Tomas Ludvigson, Auckland [N.Z.] : Dept. of Anthropology, University of Auckland, 1989
- Crowley, Terry. 2000. The language situation in Vanuatu. Current Issues in Language Planning, 1(1). 47–132.
{{Languages of Vanuatu}}
{{Southern Oceanic languages}}
{{Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages}}
Category:Espiritu Santo languages
{{SOceanic-lang-stub}}