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Torres–Banks languages

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Torres–Banks
Geographic
distribution
Torres Islands and Banks Islands, Torba Province, northern Vanuatu
Linguistic classificationAustronesian
Proto-languageProto-Torres-Banks
Language codes
Glottologtorr1262

The Torres–Banks languages form a linkage of Southern Oceanic languages spoken in the Torres Islands and Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.

Languages

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François (2011) recognizes 17 languages spoken by 9,400 people in 50 villages, including 16 living (3 of which are moribund) and one extinct language.[1]

The 17 languages, ranked from northwest to southeast, are:[1]: 181 

Language Number of speakers ISO 639-3 code Island(s) spoken
Hiw 280 [hiw] Hiw
Lo-Toga 580 [lht] Tegua, Lo, Toga
Lehali 200 [tql] Ureparapara
Löyöp 240 [urr] Ureparapara
Volow extinct [mlv] Mota Lava
Mwotlap 2100 [mlv] Mota Lava
Lemerig 2 (moribund) [lrz] Vanua Lava
Vera'a 500 [vra] Vanua Lava
Vurës 2000 [msn] Vanua Lava
Mwesen 10 (moribund) [msn] Vanua Lava
Mota 750 [mtt] Mota
Nume 700 [tgs] Gaua
Dorig 300 [wwo] Gaua
Koro 250 [krf] Gaua
Olrat 3 (moribund) [olr] Gaua
Lakon 800 [lkn] Gaua
Mwerlap 1100 [mrm] Merelava

Comparative studies

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A. François has published several studies comparing various features of the Torres–Banks languages:

  • François (2005): Inventories of vowel systems, and their historical development;
  • François (2007): Systems of noun articles, and their historical development;
  • François (2009): How several languages grammaticalized a set of light personal pronouns into markers for “aorist” aspect;
  • François (2011): How Torres–Banks languages tend to show structural isomorphism, yet lexical diversity;
  • François (2013): Etymological reconstruction of spiritual terms in Torres–Banks languages;
  • François (2015): Systems of geocentric space directionals, and their historical development;
  • François (2016): Historical morphology of personal pronouns.

François (2012) is a sociolinguistic study of the area.

Genealogical structure of the Torres–Banks linkage

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The internal structure of the Torres–Banks linkage was assessed based on the Comparative method, and presented in the framework of historical glottometry (François 2014, 2017; Kalyan & François 2018).

Kalyan & François (2018: 81) identified the following best-supported subgroups (in decreasing order of genealogical closeness):

  • Mwotlap – Volow
  • Hiw – Lo-Toga
  • Vurës – Mwesen
  • Lemerig – Vera'a
  • Koro – Olrat – Lakon
  • Dorig – Koro – Olrat – Lakon
  • Olrat – Lakon
  • Lehali – Löyöp – Mwotlap – Volow
  • 15 Banks languages together (Lehali – Löyöp – Mwotlap – Volow – Lemerig – Vera'a – Vurës – Mwesen – Mota – Nume – Dorig – Koro – Olrat – Lakon – Mwerlap)

It is possible that the strict common ancestor of any two members of the Torres–Banks linkage is Proto-Oceanic itself.[1]: 188  Evidence of this is found in the irregular preservation of final consonants in Lakon (via a now-lost paragogic vowel) in some words, consonants which were lost in most other languages.[2][1]: 200 

Proto-language

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The common ancestor of all Torres-Banks languages is called Proto-Torres–Banks, viewed here as a mutually-intelligible chain of dialects within the Torres and Banks islands.[1]: 190 

Notes

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References

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