Numèè language
Austronesian language spoken in New Caledonia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Numèè (Naa Numee, Naa-Wee), or Kwényi (Kwenyii), is a New Caledonian language, the one spoken at the southern tip of the island, as well as on the Isle of Pines offshore. Despite its name, it is probably not the language that gave its name to the capital of New Caledonia, Nouméa; that seems to have been its close relative Ndrumbea, which used to be spoken there.
NativetoNew Caledonia
RegionNouméa, Isle of Pines
Native speakers
2,200 (2009 census)[1]Austronesian
-
Malayo-Polynesian
- Oceanic
- Southern Oceanic
- New Caledonian – Loyalties
- New Caledonian
- Southern
- Extreme Southern
- Numèè
- Extreme Southern
- Southern
- New Caledonian
- New Caledonian – Loyalties
- Southern Oceanic
- Oceanic
| Numèè | |
|---|---|
| Kwényi | |
| Naa Numee | |
| Native to | New Caledonia |
| Region | Nouméa, Isle of Pines |
Native speakers | 2,200 (2009 census)[1] |
Austronesian
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kdk |
| Glottolog | nume1242 |
| ELP | Numèè |
 Numèè is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Phonology
Like its close relative Ndrumbea, Numèè is a tonal language, with three contrasting tones, high, mid, and low.
Vowels
Numèè, or rather its dialect Kwênyii, has a total of 35 vowels, all monophthongs: 17 short, and 18 long.[2]
Consonants
Kwênyii has 26 consonants.[3]