| Lakon | |
|---|---|
| Lakona, Vure | |
| Pronunciation | [laˈkɔn] |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Gaua |
Native speakers | 800 (2012)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lkn |
| Glottolog | lako1245 |
| ELP | Lakon |
 Lakon is classified as Vulnerable by theUNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
Lakon is anOceanic language, spoken on the west coast ofGaua island inVanuatu.
The language nameLakon[laˈkɔn] refers originally to the area where it is spoken—namelyLakona Bay, corresponding to the west coast of Gaua. The alternative nameLakona[lakona] is from theMota language. These names are derived from aProto-Torres-Banks form *laᵑgona, of unknown meaning.
Lakon had four dialects, named Qatareu (Qätärew,[k͡pʷætæˈrɛw]), Vure (Vurē,[βuˈrɪ]), Toglatareu, and Togla.
Lakon has 16phonemic consonants.[2]
| Labiovelar | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Dorsal | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | k͡pʷ⟨q⟩ | p⟨p⟩ | t⟨t⟩ | tʃ⟨j⟩ | k⟨k⟩ | |
| Nasal | ŋ͡mʷ⟨m̄⟩ | m⟨m⟩ | n⟨n⟩ | ŋ⟨n̄⟩ | ||
| Fricative | β ~ɸ⟨v⟩ | s⟨s⟩ | ɣ⟨g⟩ | h⟨h⟩ | ||
| Rhotic | r⟨r⟩ | |||||
| Lateral | l⟨l⟩ | |||||
| Approximant | w⟨w⟩ |
The glottal stop[ʔ] only occurs before vowels in syllable-initial position. While non-phonemic, it is sometimes noted in the orthography, using a⟨’⟩ mark.
Lakon has 16phonemic vowels. These include 8 short /i ɪ ɛ æ a ɔ ʊ u/ and 8 long vowels /iː ɪː ɛː æː aː ɔː ʊː uː/.[2][3]
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Near-close | i⟨i⟩ ∙iː⟨ii⟩ | u⟨u⟩ ∙uː⟨uu⟩ |
| Close-mid | ɪ⟨ē⟩ ∙ɪː⟨ēē⟩ | ʊ⟨ō⟩ ∙ʊː⟨ōō⟩ |
| Open-mid | ɛ⟨e⟩ ∙ɛː⟨ee⟩ | ɔ⟨o⟩ ∙ɔː⟨oo⟩ |
| Near-open | æ⟨ä⟩ ∙æː⟨ää⟩ | |
| Open | a⟨a⟩ ∙aː⟨aa⟩ | |
Historically, the phonemicisation of vowel length originates in thecompensatory lengthening of short vowels when thealveolar trill/r/ was lost syllable-finally. This is considered to be a very recent change, perhaps within the last century, as Codrington still indicates the trill syllable-finally.[4] However, the 1897 Book of Common Prayer in Lakon shows loss of the trill, as evidenced bytataa[taˈtaː] "prayer" (spelled astata) forMotatataro.
The system ofpersonal pronouns in Lakon contrastsclusivity, and distinguishes fournumbers (singular,dual,trial, plural).[5]
Spatial reference in Lakon is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is typical ofOceanic languages.[6]