Torres–Banks languages
Group of related Oceanic languages in northern Vanuatu
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The Torres–Banks languages form a linkage of Southern Oceanic languages spoken in the Torres Islands and Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.
distributionTorres Islands and Banks Islands, Torba Province, northern Vanuatu
| Torres–Banks | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Torres Islands and Banks Islands, Torba Province, northern Vanuatu |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian |
| Proto-language | Proto-Torres-Banks |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | torr1262 |
Languages
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
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
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
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