Nanumea dialect

Nanumea
Nanumean
Te Gagana Faka Nanumea/Te 'Gana Faka Nanumea
Pronunciationte ŋa'ŋana ˈfaka nanuˈmea/te 'ŋːana 'faka nanu'mea
Native toNanumea, Tuvalu
RegionPolynesia
Native speakers
Uncertain
Latin script
Language codes
ISO 639-3–

The Nanumea dialect, also known as te 'Gana Faka Nanumea or Nanumean, is a dialect of Tuvaluan, also considered by some to be a separate language, spoken on the island of Nanumea in northern Tuvalu. It is part of the Northern dialect group of Tuvaluan, and is closely related to other Polynesian languages, especially the languages of the Polynesian outliers, such as Tuvaluan, Nukuoro, Kapingamarani, Samoan and Tokelauan, and less so related to more well-known Polynesian languages such as Māori and 'Ōlelo Hawai'i. There is one Nanumean lexicon.

Phonology

Nanumea's phonemes are the same as to the phonemes of other northern dialects of the Tuvaluan language, as can be observed:

Vowels

Short Long
Front Back Front Back
Close i u iː uː
Mid e o eː oː
Open a aː

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive p t k
Fricative f v h
Lateral l

Consonants can also be germinated, just like Tuvaluan.

Challenges

Nanumea may eventually sink completely below sea level by the near future, which is a threat to te 'Gana Faka Nanumea, because if the atoll was no longer there, there would be no use for Nanumean.

Similarities and differences with standard Tuvaluan

English Nanumea Tuvaluan Additional information
Cat Puuhi Pūsi /s/ turns into /h/ in northern dialects and, to an extent, the Nukulaelae dialect
Spouse Aavaga Āvaga
Idea Aofaga Manatu
Gold Aulo Aulo Latin loanword
To fold Fefetu/Taketake Sai
Bat (Instrument) Pate Pate
Table Laulau Taipola
To help Fakamaamaa Fesoasoani
Fly (Insect) Lago Lago
Nominalizer suffix -a -ga '-a' is also used in Tokelauan.
Ten Agafulu Sefulu/Hefulu 'Agafulu' seems to also have been used in older Tuvaluan, as is described by Donald G. K., though more modern dictionaries cite 'sefulu' as the used word

for ten, though in compound words 'agafulu' seems to have maintained, e.g. agafulumaikao ten coconuts.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Te 'Gana Faka Nanumea". nanumea.net. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  2. ↑ "WALS Online - Language Nanumea". wals.info. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tuvalu Language". 2019-12-30. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  4. 1 2 3 Niko, Besnier. Ttou tauloto te ggana Tuuvalu = A course in the Tuvaluan.
  5. 1 2 Jackson, Geoffrey W. Te tikisionale o te ʻgana Tuvalu = A Tuvaluan-English dictionary.
  6. ↑ Besnier, Niko. Tuvaluan: A Polynesian Language of the Central Pacific.
  7. ↑ https://nanumea.net/Dictionaries.html
  8. 1 2 "A Nanumea Lexicon" (PDF).
  9. 1 2 "A Dictionary of the Tuvaluan Language & Culture".
  10. ↑ Kench, Paul S.; Ford, Murray R.; Owen, Susan D. (2018-02-09). "Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 605. Bibcode:2018NatCo...9..605K. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 5807422. PMID 29426825.
  11. 1 2 "Tuvaluan Dictionary | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  12. ↑ "Tokelau Dictionary | Atafu Tokelau Community Group". Matauala Hub. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  13. ↑ "Tuvalu Language". 2018-03-22. Archived from the original on 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  14. ↑ https://tuvalu.aa-ken.jp/en/