Namakura language

{{Infobox language

|name=Namakura

|altname=

|nativename=Namakir

|region=Shepherds Islands (Tongoa & Tongariki), north of Efate

|state=Vanuatu

|speakers=3,800

|date=2001

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Austronesian

|fam2=Malayo-Polynesian

|fam3=Oceanic

|fam4=Southern Oceanic

|fam5=North-Central Vanuatu

|fam6=Central Vanuatu

|fam7=Epi-Efate

|fam8=Efate

|iso3=nmk

|glotto=nama1268

|glottorefname=Namakura

|map = Lang Status 99-NE.svg

|mapcaption = {{center|{{small|Namakura is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger}}}}

}}

File:WIKITONGUES- James speaking Namakura.webm.]]

The Namakura language, Makura or Namakir, is an Oceanic language of Vanuatu. The language is spoken in Shefa Province, north Efate, Tongoa, and Tongariki. It is the only North-Central Vanuatu language to have preserved the Proto-Oceanic *q, reflected as a glottal stop.

Phonology

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" \| ! colspan="2" \|Labial ! rowspan="2" \|Coronal ! rowspan="2" \|Velar ! rowspan="2" \|Glottal
plain !lab.
colspan="2" \|Nasal \| {{IPAlink\|m}} \| {{IPAlink\|mʷ}} \| {{IPAlink\|n}} \| {{IPAlink\|ŋ}} \|
rowspan="2" \|Plosive !voiceless \| {{IPAlink\|p}} \| {{IPAlink\|pʷ}} \| {{IPAlink\|t}} \| {{IPAlink\|k}} \| {{IPAlink\|ʔ}}
prenasal \| {{IPAlink\|ᵐb}} \| {{IPAlink\|ᵐbʷ}} \| {{IPAlink\|ⁿd}} \| {{IPAlink\|ᵑɡ}} \|
rowspan="2" \|Fricative !voiceless \| {{IPAlink\|f}} \| \| {{IPAlink\|s}} \| \| {{IPAlink\|h}}
voiced \| {{IPAlink\|v}} \| \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Approximant \| colspan="2" \| {{IPAlink\|w}} \| {{IPAlink\|l}} \| \|
colspan="2" \|Rhotic \| \| \| {{IPAlink\|r}} \| \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |

! colspan="2" |Labial

! rowspan="2" |Coronal

! rowspan="2" |Velar

! rowspan="2" |Glottal

plain

!lab.

colspan="2" |Nasal

| {{IPAlink|m}}

| {{IPAlink|mʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|n}}

| {{IPAlink|ŋ}}

rowspan="2" |Plosive

!voiceless

| {{IPAlink|p}}

| {{IPAlink|pʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|t}}

| {{IPAlink|k}}

| {{IPAlink|ʔ}}

prenasal

| {{IPAlink|ᵐb}}

| {{IPAlink|ᵐbʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|ⁿd}}

| {{IPAlink|ᵑɡ}}

rowspan="2" |Fricative

!voiceless

| {{IPAlink|f}}

| {{IPAlink|s}}

| {{IPAlink|h}}

voiced

| {{IPAlink|v}}

colspan="2" |Approximant

| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|w}}

| {{IPAlink|l}}

colspan="2" |Rhotic

| {{IPAlink|r}}

/v/ may also range to bilabial as {{IPAblink|β}}, in free variation.
/h/ can also range to uvular as {{IPAblink|χ}}, in free variation.
/ⁿd/ can also range to a retroflex {{IPAblink|ɖ|ᶯɖ}} in free variation. When followed by a /r/, it is then realized as a trilled-articulated sound {{IPA|[ⁿdʳ, ᶯɖʳ]}}.
/r/ can be heard as a flap {{IPAblink|ɾ}} in initial position and as a trill {{IPAblink|r}} elsewhere.

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! !Front !Central !Back
Close \|{{IPA link\|i}} {{IPA link\|iː}} \| \|{{IPA link\|u}} {{IPA link\|uː}}
Mid \|{{IPA link\|e}} {{IPA link\|eː}} \| \|{{IPA link\|o}} {{IPA link\|oː}}
Open \| \|{{IPA link\|a}} {{IPA link\|aː}} \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Front

!Central

!Back

|{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|iː}}

|{{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|uː}}

Mid

|{{IPA link|e}} {{IPA link|eː}}

|{{IPA link|o}} {{IPA link|oː}}

Open

|{{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|aː}}

Two nasal vowel sounds [ẽ õ] are also rarely heard.
/i/ when preceding a vowel can be heard as a glide [j].{{Cite book|last=Sperlich|first=Wolfgang B.|title=Namakir: a description of a central Vanuatu language|publisher=University of Auckland|year=1991}}

External links

Materials on Makura [http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/search?language_code=nmk are included in a number of collections] held by Paradisec.

References

{{cite journal |last=Ray |first=Sydney H. |authorlink=Sydney H. Ray |year=1897 |title=Vocabulary and Grammatical Notes on the Language of Makura, Central New Hebrides |journal=The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland |volume=26 |pages=67–73 |doi=10.2307/2842333 |publisher=Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland |jstor=2842333|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1449584 }}

Notes

Category:Central Vanuatu languages