West Uvean language

{{Short description|Polynesian language of Ouvéa, New Caledonia}}

{{about|"West Uvean" or "Fagauvea", a language of New Caledonia|"East Uvean" or "Fakauvea", the language of Wallis Island (Uvea)|Wallisian language}}

{{Infobox language

|name=West Uvean

|nativename=Fagauvea

|states=New Caledonia

|region=Ouvéa

|speakers={{sigfig|2220|2}}

|date=2009 census

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Austronesian

|fam2=Malayo-Polynesian

|fam3=Oceanic

|fam4=Polynesian

|fam5=Futunic?

|iso3=uve

|glotto=west2516

|glottorefname=West Uvean

|map = Lang Status 80-VU.svg

|mapcaption = {{center|{{small|West Uvean is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger}}}}

}}

West Uvean (also Uvean or Faga Ouvéa; Fagauvea in the vernacular) is a Polynesian outlier language spoken on the island of Ouvéa, in the Loyalty island group of New Caledonia, and in the capital of Nouméa.

West Uvean has been studied by linguists Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre and Claire Moyse-Faurie.

Name

The speakers designate their language by the name Fagauvea, which is also the name used in French.

The name West Uvean sometimes used in English is meant to distinguish the language from the related East Uvean or Wallisian, spoken on Wallis Island ({{okina}}Uvea).

Phonology

West Uvean has long been in contact with Iaai, the Southern Oceanic language also spoken on the same island. This contact has resulted in four vowels being added to the phonemic system of West Uvean; and to a complexification of the syllable structure, allowing for final consonants.{{rp|534}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+ Consonants{{Cite book \|last=Ozanne-Rivierre \|first=Françoise \|authorlink=Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre \|chapter=Iaai loanwords and phonemic changes in Fagauvea \|publisher=Mouton De Gruyter \|year=1994 \|editor1=Tom Dutton \|editor2=Darrell T. Tryon\|title=Language Contact and Change in the Austronesian World \|pages=523–550 \|doi=10.1515/9783110883091.523\|isbn=978-3-11-012786-7 }} ! colspan="2" \| !Labial !Dental !Alveolar !Retroflex !Palatal !Velar !Glottal
rowspan="2" \|Nasal !voiceless \|{{IPA link\|m̥}} \| \|{{IPA link\|n̥}} \| \| \| \|
voiced \|{{IPA link\|m}} \| \|{{IPA link\|n}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ɲ}} \|{{IPA link\|ŋ}} \|
rowspan="2" \|Plosive !voiceless \|{{IPA link\|p}} \| \|{{IPA link\|t}} \|{{IPA link\|ʈ}} \|{{IPA link\|c}} \|{{IPA link\|k}} \|
voiced \|{{IPA link\|b}} \| \|{{IPA link\|d}} \|{{IPA link\|ɖ}} \|{{IPA link\|ɟ}} \|{{IPA link\|ɡ}} \|
rowspan="2" \|Fricative !voiceless \|{{IPA link\|f}} \|{{IPA link\|θ}} \|{{IPA link\|s}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ʃ}} \| \|{{IPA link\|h}}
voiced \|{{IPA link\|v}} \| \| \| \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Rhotic \| \| \|({{IPA link\|ɾ}}) \| \| \| \|
rowspan="2" \|Approximant !voiceless \|{{IPA link\|w̥}} \| \|{{IPA link\|l̥}} \| \| \| \|
voiced \|{{IPA link\|w}} \| \|{{IPA link\|l}} \| \| \| \|

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

|+ Consonants{{Cite book |last=Ozanne-Rivierre |first=Françoise |authorlink=Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre |chapter=Iaai loanwords and phonemic changes in Fagauvea |publisher=Mouton De Gruyter |year=1994 |editor1=Tom Dutton |editor2=Darrell T. Tryon|title=Language Contact and Change in the Austronesian World |pages=523–550 |doi=10.1515/9783110883091.523|isbn=978-3-11-012786-7 }}

! colspan="2" |

rowspan="2" |Nasal

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|m̥}}

|{{IPA link|n̥}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|m}}

|{{IPA link|n}}

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ}}

rowspan="2" |Plosive

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|p}}

|{{IPA link|t}}

|{{IPA link|ʈ}}

|{{IPA link|c}}

|{{IPA link|k}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|d}}

|{{IPA link|ɖ}}

|{{IPA link|ɟ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ}}

rowspan="2" |Fricative

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|f}}

|{{IPA link|θ}}

|{{IPA link|s}}

|{{IPA link|ʃ}}

|{{IPA link|h}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|v}}

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|({{IPA link|ɾ}})

rowspan="2" |Approximant

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|w̥}}

|{{IPA link|l̥}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|w}}

|{{IPA link|l}}

/{{IPA|ɾ}}/ is only heard in intervocalic position.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+ Vowels ! ! colspan="2" \| Front ! Central ! Back
High \| {{IPA link\|i}} \| {{IPA link\|y}} \| \|\| {{IPA link\|u}}
Mid \| {{IPA link\|e}} \| {{IPA link\|œ}} \| {{IPA link\|ə}} \|\| {{IPA link\|o}}
Low \| colspan="2" \| {{IPA link\|æ}} \| {{IPA link\|a}} \|

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

|+ Vowels

! colspan="2" | Front

! Central

! Back

High

| {{IPA link|i}}

| {{IPA link|y}}

| || {{IPA link|u}}

Mid

| {{IPA link|e}}

| {{IPA link|œ}}

| {{IPA link|ə}} || {{IPA link|o}}

Low

| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|æ}}

| {{IPA link|a}}

Grammar

=Numeral system=

West Uvean is the only Polynesian language to use a quinary numeral system. While Polynesian languages historically have a decimal system, West Uvean evolved to a quinary system, under influence of its Iaai neighbour.

There are two sets of numerals from 11 to 20, the second way was the archaic form.

{{clarify|text=The word {{lang|uve|tupu}} means {{gloss|sum}}, {{lang|uve|teanua}} in {{lang|uve|tahi a teanua}} means {{gloss|human body}}, and {{lang|uve|nea}} in {{lang|uve|tahi enea}} means {{gloss|man}}.|date=January 2024}} Nowadays, the West Uvea or Faga Uvea people use French or Iaai numeral systems more frequently.

External links

[https://pangloss.cnrs.fr/corpus/Fagauvea?lang=en&mode=pro&seeMore=true Audio recordings and texts in the West Uvean language], in open access (Pangloss Collection), by linguists Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre and Claire Moyse-Faurie.

References

Category:Futunic languages

Category:Languages of New Caledonia