Ninde language
In this article, Ninde language will be analyzed from different perspectives, in order to offer a broad and detailed vision of this topic. Historical, cultural, social, political and economic aspects related to Ninde language will be addressed, with the aim of understanding its impact on current society. Recent research, expert opinions and testimonies from people who have had experiences related to Ninde language will be presented. Through this exhaustive analysis, we seek to provide the reader with a deep and complete understanding of Ninde language, allowing them to form an informed opinion and enrich their knowledge on this topic.
| Ninde | |
|---|---|
| Region | Malekula, Vanuatu |
Native speakers | 1,100 (2001)[1] |
| Latin script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mwi |
| Glottolog | labo1244 |
| ELP | Ninde |
 Ninde is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Ninde, or Labo (also Nide, Meaun, Mewun) is an Oceanic language spoken by about 1,100 people in the Southwest Bay area of Malekula island, in Vanuatu.
One unusual feature is that it has both a voiced and a voiceless bilabial trill.[2]
In popular culture
In an episode of the British television programme An Idiot Abroad, Karl Pilkington meets the chief of a local tribe, who comments upon the Ninde language. He explains that “all the words of Ninde begin with /n/”, such as the word nimdimdip for palm tree, naho for fruit, or nuhuli for leaf. They then visit the grave of a woman who was named Nicola.
However, this general statement is actually not true. Ninde words that start with /n/ are generally inanimate common nouns of the language; the /n/ reflects an old nominal article (< Proto-Oceanic *na) which has been fused to the radical of these common nouns. As for the name Nicola, which is a borrowed European name, it cannot be taken as representative of the Ninde language.
Notes
- ^ Lynch & Crowley (2001).
- ^ LINGUIST List 8.45: Bilabial trill. Linguistlist.org. Retrieved on 2010-12-08.
External links
- Materials on Ninde are included in a number of collections held by Paradisec.
- ELAR collection: Ninde documentation and orthographic design project deposited by Caroline Crouch
References
- Lynch, John and Crowley, Terry. 2001. Languages of Vanuatu: A New Survey and Bibliography. Pacific Linguistics. Canberra: Australian National University.