| Mwerlap | |
|---|---|
| Merelava, Merlav | |
| N̄wërlap | |
| Pronunciation | [ŋʷɞrˈlap] |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Merelava,Gaua |
Native speakers | ca. 1,100 (2012)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mrm |
| Glottolog | merl1237 |
 Mwerlap is not endangered according to the classification system of theUNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
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Mwerlap is anOceanic language spoken in the south of theBanks Islands inVanuatu.
Its 1,100 speakers live mostly inMerelava andMerig, but a fair proportion have also settled on the east coast ofGaua island.[2] Besides, a number of Mwerlap speakers live in the two cities of Vanuatu,Port Vila andLuganville.
The language has been studied byAlexandre François, and more recently by Agnès Henri.[3]
The language is named afterMwerlap, thenative name of Merelava island.
Mwerlap has 16phonemic consonants.
| Labiovelar | Labial | Alveolar | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | kʷ⟨q⟩ | p⟨p⟩ | t⟨t⟩ | k⟨k⟩ |
| prenasal | ᵐb⟨b⟩ | ⁿd⟨d⟩ | |||
| Nasal | ŋʷ⟨n̄w⟩ | m⟨m⟩ | n⟨n⟩ | ŋ⟨n̄⟩ | |
| Fricative | v ~β⟨v⟩ | s⟨s⟩ | ɣ⟨g⟩ | ||
| Rhotic | r⟨r⟩ | ||||
| Lateral | l⟨l⟩ | ||||
| Approximant | w⟨w⟩ | ||||
/v/ is also heard as [β] when geminated in syllable-initial position.
/s/ may also be heard as alveolo-palatal [ɕ] when in geminated positions.[4]
Mwerlap has 12phonemic vowels. These include 9monophthongs/iɪɛʉɵɞʊɔa/,[4] and 3diphthongs/ɛ͡aɔ͡ɞʊ͡ɵ/.[5]
| Front | Central rounded | Back | Diphthongs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i⟨i⟩ | ʉ⟨u⟩ | (u)⟨u⟩ | ||
| Near-close | ɪ⟨ē⟩ | ɵ⟨ö⟩ | ʊ⟨ō⟩ | ʊ͡ɵ⟨ōö⟩ | |
| Open-mid | ɛ⟨e⟩ | ɞ⟨ë⟩ | ɔ⟨o⟩ | ɔ͡ɞ⟨oë⟩ | |
| Open | a⟨a⟩ | ɛ͡a⟨ea⟩ | |||
/ʉ/ may also be heard as back [u] among speakers.[4]
The system ofpersonal pronouns in Mwerlap contrastsclusivity, and distinguishes threenumbers (singular,dual, plural).[6]
| Singular | Dual | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | inclusive | no ~ në/nɔ/~/nœ/ | dōrō/ⁿdʊrʊ/ | gean/ɣɛ͡an/ |
| exclusive | kamar/kamar/ | kemem/kɛmɛm/ | ||
| 2nd | neak/nɛ͡ak/ | kamrō/kamrʊ/ | kemi/kɛmi/ | |
| 3rd | (ki)sean/(ki)sɛ͡an/ | karar/karar/ | kear/kɛ͡ar/ | |
Spatial reference in Mwerlap is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals.[8] That system is partly typical ofOceanic languages, and yet innovative.[9]