Loniu language

{{Short description|Austronesian language of Papua New Guinea}}

{{Infobox language

|name = Loniu

|nativename =

|states = Papua New Guinea

|region = Los Negros Island, Manus Province

|speakers = 780

|date = 2000

|ref = e25

|familycolor = Austronesian

|fam2 = Malayo-Polynesian

|fam3 = Oceanic

|fam4 = Admiralty Islands

|fam5 = Eastern Admiralty Islands

|fam6 = Manus

|fam7 = West Manus

|fam8 = Loniu–Mokerang

|iso3 = los

|glotto=loni1238

|glottorefname=Loniu

}}

Loniu is an Austronesian language spoken along the southern coast of Los Negros Island in the Manus Province, immediately east of Manus Island in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. Loniu is spoken in the villages of Loniu and Lolak, and there are estimated to be 450–500 native speakers, although some live in other Manus villages or on the mainland of Papua New Guinea.{{harvp|Hamel|1994}}

Loniu generally fits with most of the observations made about Oceanic languages, specifically the Admiralty Islands languages.{{cite book |last1=Capell |first1=Arthur |title=The Austronesian languages of Australian New Guinea |date=1971 |publisher=Mouton |location=The Hague |pages=240–340}}{{cite book |last1=Capell |first1=Arthur |title=Features of Austronesian languages in the New Guinea area in general in contrast with other Austronesian languages of Melanesia. |date=1976 |location=Canberra }}{{cite book |last1=Capell |first1=Arthur |title=General picture of Austronesian languages, New Guinea area. |date=1976 |location=Canberra }}{{cite book |last1=Healey |first1=Alan |title=Austronesian languages: Admiralty Islands area. |date=1976 |location=Canberra }}{{cite journal |last1=Ross |first1=M.D. |title=Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian languages of Western Melanesia |journal=Pacific Linguistics |date=1988 |volume=C-98}} The six morphosyntactic features of 'Type B' Oceanic Languages (which include the Admiralties languages) as noted by Ross are found in Loniu. The language is essentially SVO and contains prepositions.