| Tanema | |
|---|---|
| Tetawo | |
| Native to | Solomon Islands |
| Region | Vanikoro |
Native speakers | 1 (2012)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | tnx |
| Glottolog | tane1237 |
| ELP | Tanema |
 Tanema is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Tanema (Tetawo, Tetau) is a nearly extinct language of the island of Vanikoro, in the easternmost province of the Solomon Islands.
Vitality[edit]
As of 2012, Tanema is only spoken by one speaker, Lainol Nalo.[1][3] Like its neighbour Lovono, it has been replaced by Teanu, the main language of Vanikoro.
The late Emele Mamuli was a prolific storyteller who could speak fluently the three languages of Vanikoro: Teanu, Lovono and Tanema.[4] She was one of the last speakers of Tanema.
The language[edit]
Some information on the languages of Vanikoro, including Tanema, can be found in François (2009) for the grammar, and François (2021) for the lexicon.[5]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b Homepage of the linguist A. François (CNRS).
- ^ Source: Maps of Vanikoro (languages, place names).
- ^ “The Mystery of the Sinking South Pacific Islands” — Part 2: A Language's Lone Survivor (article in Der Spiegel, 15/06/2012).
- ^ Photograph of Emele Mamuli (2005).
- ^ See also François (2022) for a general presentation.
References[edit]
- François, Alexandre (2009), "The languages of Vanikoro: Three lexicons and one grammar" (PDF), in Evans, Bethwyn (ed.), Discovering history through language: Papers in honour of Malcolm Ross, Pacific Linguistics 605, Canberra: Australian National University, pp. 103–126
- —— (2021). Online Teanu–English dictionary, with lexical data in Lovono and Tanema. Paris, CNRS.
- —— (2022). "Presentation of the Tanema language, and audio archive". Pangloss Collection. Paris: CNRS. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
External links[edit]
- Audio recordings in the Tanema language, in open access, by A. François (source: Pangloss Collection of CNRS).