| Mwesen | |
|---|---|
| Mosina | |
| M̄ēsēn | |
| Pronunciation | [ŋ͡mʷɪˈsɪn] |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Vanua Lava |
Native speakers | 10 (2012)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | msn (shared withVurës) |
| Glottolog | vure1239 Vurës |
| ELP | Mwesen |
 Mwesen is classified as Critically Endangered by theUNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
Mwesen (formerly known by itsMota nameMosina) is anOceanic language spoken in the southeastern area ofVanua Lava Island, in theBanks Islands of northernVanuatu, by about 10 speakers.[1]
Mwesen shows many similarities with the island's dominant languageVurës, to such an extent that they have sometimes been considered dialects of a single language. However, studies have shown that Mwesen and Vurës have various dissimilarities, e.g. in theirvowel systems,[2] in theirnoun articles,[3] in theirpronoun paradigms.[4]
The nameMwesen is originally the name of a village, in the eastern part of Vanua Lava;[5] it is spelledM̄ēsēn[ŋ͡mʷɪˈsɪn] both in Mwesen itself, and in neighbouringVurës. The village is known asAm̄sēn[aŋ͡mʷˈsɪn] (with locative prefixa-) inMwotlap, and asM̄osina[ŋ͡mʷosina] (modern:M̄osna[ŋ͡mʷosna]) inMota. All these different names are derived from aProto-Torres-Banks form *mʷosina.
The old Mota nameM̄osina was the source ofMosina, one of the names which was occasionally given, in English, to the Mwesen language (sometimes encompassing Mwesen together with Vurës).[6]
Mwesen has 7phonemicvowels. These are all shortmonophthongs/iɪɛaɔʊu/:[2]
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i⟨i⟩ | u⟨u⟩ |
| Near-close | ɪ⟨ē⟩ | ʊ⟨ō⟩ |
| Open-mid | ɛ⟨e⟩ | ɔ⟨o⟩ |
| Open | a⟨a⟩ | |
The system ofpersonal pronouns in Mwesen contrastsclusivity, and distinguishes fournumbers (singular,dual,trial, plural).[4]
Spatial reference in Mwesen is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is in part typical ofOceanic languages, in part innovative.[7]
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