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South Efate
This page was elaborated by Nick Thieberger, linguist at the University of Melbourne, project manager of PARADISEC, chief Investigator in the EthnoER project (presenting media and text online), and technology editor for the journal Language Documentation and Conservation. 2010.
Data on the language
Alternatives names: Erakor, Fate, Southern Efate (ethnologue.com)
Classification: Austronesian, Oceanic, Central Vanuatu
Area: Efate, Vanuatu
Number of speakers: ~5000
Language status:
South Efate is one of 110 local languages of Vanuatu.
Vitality & transmission:
A strong language, spoken by all age groups.
Some pressure from the national language Bislama.
Media/Literature/Instruction:
Some use of the language in early primary school.
Sociolinguistic observations
First writing in the language was in the mid-1800s, missionary work on christian texts.
Linguistic observations
SVO, head-marking, bound pronouns encode mood with separate paradigms for realis, irrealis and perfect.
Auxiliary verbs have developed from what were once serial verb constructions, in part due to the presence of a pre-verbal benefactive phrase.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Efate_language
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have more information on this language: contact@sorosoro.org