East Ambae language

Austronesian language spoken in Vanuatu

East Ambae (also known as Omba, Oba, Aoba, Walurigi, Lolovoli, Northeast Aoba, and Northeast Ambae) is an Oceanic language spoken on Ambae, Vanuatu. The data in this article will concern itself with the Lolovoli dialect of the North East Ambae language.

In Ambae there are four different pronominal forms, one set of free forms, independent pronouns and three sets of bound forms, subject proclitics, object enclitics and possessive suffixes. All sets of pronominals distinguish between singular, dual and plural and between inclusive and exclusive in the first person. Independent pronouns are preceded by the personal article when the head of a noun phrase.

Possessive suffixes are attached to the head noun in a direct possessive construction, or a relational classifier in an indirect possessive construction. the Oceanic language also spoken on Vanuatu, have three forms, representing a near distance, a medium distance, and a far distance. Ngihie also has a plural form, ngire, which is homophonous with the third person plural independent pronoun. The form ngaha can also have a temporal meaning of ‘now’. This is shown in the example below. The form ngihie can also function as an emphatic demonstrative, acting to modify an entire proposition. Whether being used as the head of the noun phrase, or to modify the noun, the demonstratives take on the same form(s), ngaha and ngihie. This is typologically similar to other Oceanic languages, who often do not have different forms, either in the stem or in the inflection based on whether the demonstrative is acting as a noun or a modifier.

Additionally, the form ge can be used to indicate the location of an object. This form is generally used when someone has asked for the location of an object, and is accompanied by either pointing to the object in question, indication with the eyes, or tilting the head.

The presentative ia is used when presenting an object to the addressee. Ia is a borrowing from Bislama, an official language of Vanuatu, from the English ‘here’. *Ia is the reconstructed form for ‘here’ in Proto Malayo Polynesian. Ia can still be found in many Malayo Polynesian languages, such as Lamaholot, Tongan, Samoan, Maori and Hawaiian. An example of this presentative ia is given below. In example 10, where the prefix ngi has been added to form a demonstrative, and the suffix mai has been added, the demonstrative indicates that the object is closer to the speaker, while in example 11, where the demonstrative is unmarked and thus has no suffix, the meaning is that the object is farther away.