Southwest Tanna language

Southwest Tanna is a dialect chain spoken on the southwestern coast of Tanna Island in Vanuatu. Lynch (1982) names three major dialects: Nivhaal in the north-west of the language area (spelt "Nauvhal" in publicity for the 2015 film Tanna), Nivai in the south-west, and Nelpwaai in the north-east.^[2]

NativetoVanuatu

RegionTanna Island

Native speakers

4,500 (2011)^[1]

Language family

Austronesian

• Malayo-Polynesian
  • Oceanic
    • Southern Oceanic
      • South Vanuatu
        • Tanna
          • Southwest Tanna

Quick facts Native to, Region ...

Southwest Tanna
Nawal
Native to	Vanuatu
Region	Tanna Island
Native speakers	4,500 (2011)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Southern Oceanic South Vanuatu Tanna Southwest Tanna
Language codes
ISO 639-3	nwi
Glottolog	sout2869
Southwest Tanna is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

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