Ahamb has around 1000 speakers, most of whom reside on the small low-lying Ahamb Island and the nearby Malekula mainland. The language is endangered due to a number of factors,[3] including climate change and environmental factors.
Linguist Tihomir Rangelov published a grammatical description of Ahamb in 2020.[2][4]
The vowel inventory is also relatively large compared to other related languages, with eight contrastive vowels.
Grammar
Nouns in Ahamb are classified as common, personal and local. They can also be classified as alienable and inalienable, which corresponds to a structural distinction in possessive constructions involving classifiers (general and alimentary) or direct suffixation respectively. Noun phrases consist of a nominal head and various modifiers that follow it in a relatively flexible order.
Verbs in Ahamb can be transitive and intransitive. Intransitive verbs are further classified as active or stative. Detransitivisation is possible with the use of prefixation or reduplication. Verbs can take a number of prefixed tense/aspect/mood/polarity modifiers and commonly feature a subject index. Subject indexes come in three paradigms with forms for all person, number and clusivity distinctions. Neutral subject indexes are used in a variety of situations and combine most freely with other preverbal modifiers. Sequential event subject indexes are used to mark the second and subsequent verb in complex clauses that encode sequential events with the same subject. Irrealis mood subject indexes are used in interrogatives and negative modality constructions, among others. The objects of transitive verbs can be encoded by an object pro-index, which can take four different forms.
Ahamb has SVO word order. Negation can be expressed in a number of ways, including a separate prohibitive coding and a negative modality particle. Different verb-like forms can function as prepositions and deixis markers. Complementation can be expressed with or without a complementiser, corresponding to a distinction in the semantic properties of the complement taking verb. Verb serialisation has been attested on the nuclear and core level. A special type of nuclear serialisation-like construction involves coverbs – non-prototypical verb forms that are only attested in such constructions. On the core level, switch-function and ambient serialisation is attested. Subordination is possible with a large variety of conjunctions. Other complex clause types include sequential event constructions and both syndetic and asyndetic coordinating constructions.
^Ahamb at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^ abRangelov, Tihomir. 2020. A grammar of the Ahamb language (Vanuatu). Hamilton, New Zealand, University of Waikato. PhD thesis.
^Rangelov, Tihomir, Tom Bratrud & Julie Barbour. 2019. Ahamb (Malekula, Vanuatu) – Language contexts. Language Documentation and Description 16: 86-126.
^Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Ahamb". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History..
^Rangelov, Tihomir. 2019. The bilabial trills of Ahamb (Vanuatu): Acoustic and articulatory properties. In S. Calhoun, P. Escudero, M. Tabain and P. Warren (eds),Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Melbourne, Australia 2019. Canberra, Australasian Speech Science and Technology Association Inc.: 1292-1296.
^Rangelov, Tihomir. 2020. Documenting Ahamb, a small-island language of Vanuatu. London, SOAS, Endangered Languages Archive, ELAR.
axamb, language, ahamb, also, spelled, axamb, akhamb, oceanic, language, spoken, south, malakula, vanuatu, ahambnative, tovanuaturegionsouth, malekulanative, speakers950, 2017, language, familyaustronesian, malayo, polynesianoceanicsouthern, oceaniccentral, va. Ahamb also spelled Axamb or Akhamb is an Oceanic language spoken in South Malakula Vanuatu 2 AhambNative toVanuatuRegionSouth MalekulaNative speakers950 2017 1 Language familyAustronesian Malayo PolynesianOceanicSouthern OceanicCentral VanuatuMalakulaEasternAhambLanguage codesISO 639 3 a href https iso639 3 sil org code ahb class extiw title iso639 3 ahb ahb a Glottologaxam1237ELPAhambAxamb is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World s Languages in DangerAhamb has around 1000 speakers most of whom reside on the small low lying Ahamb Island and the nearby Malekula mainland The language is endangered due to a number of factors 3 including climate change and environmental factors Linguist Tihomir Rangelov published a grammatical description of Ahamb in 2020 2 4 Contents 1 The language 1 1 Phonology 1 2 Grammar 2 Resources 3 References and links 3 1 References 3 2 External linksThe language EditPhonology Edit Ahamb s phonology is characterised by distinctive prenasalisation in its plosives and trills There are four contrastive trills including the typologically rare plain bilabial trill 5 The vowel inventory is also relatively large compared to other related languages with eight contrastive vowels Grammar Edit Nouns in Ahamb are classified as common personal and local They can also be classified as alienable and inalienable which corresponds to a structural distinction in possessive constructions involving classifiers general and alimentary or direct suffixation respectively Noun phrases consist of a nominal head and various modifiers that follow it in a relatively flexible order Verbs in Ahamb can be transitive and intransitive Intransitive verbs are further classified as active or stative Detransitivisation is possible with the use of prefixation or reduplication Verbs can take a number of prefixed tense aspect mood polarity modifiers and commonly feature a subject index Subject indexes come in three paradigms with forms for all person number and clusivity distinctions Neutral subject indexes are used in a variety of situations and combine most freely with other preverbal modifiers Sequential event subject indexes are used to mark the second and subsequent verb in complex clauses that encode sequential events with the same subject Irrealis mood subject indexes are used in interrogatives and negative modality constructions among others The objects of transitive verbs can be encoded by an object pro index which can take four different forms Ahamb has SVO word order Negation can be expressed in a number of ways including a separate prohibitive coding and a negative modality particle Different verb like forms can function as prepositions and deixis markers Complementation can be expressed with or without a complementiser corresponding to a distinction in the semantic properties of the complement taking verb Verb serialisation has been attested on the nuclear and core level A special type of nuclear serialisation like construction involves coverbs non prototypical verb forms that are only attested in such constructions On the core level switch function and ambient serialisation is attested Subordination is possible with a large variety of conjunctions Other complex clause types include sequential event constructions and both syndetic and asyndetic coordinating constructions Resources EditA collection of Ahamb texts is available with open access at the Endangered Languages Archive 6 References and links EditReferences Edit Ahamb at Ethnologue 18th ed 2015 subscription required a b Rangelov Tihomir 2020 A grammar of the Ahamb language Vanuatu Hamilton New Zealand University of Waikato PhD thesis Rangelov Tihomir Tom Bratrud amp Julie Barbour 2019 Ahamb Malekula Vanuatu Language contexts Language Documentation and Description 16 86 126 Hammarstrom Harald Forkel Robert Haspelmath Martin eds 2017 Ahamb Glottolog 3 0 Jena Germany Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Rangelov Tihomir 2019 The bilabial trills of Ahamb Vanuatu Acoustic and articulatory properties In S Calhoun P Escudero M Tabain and P Warren eds Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences Melbourne Australia 2019 Canberra Australasian Speech Science and Technology Association Inc 1292 1296 Rangelov Tihomir 2020 Documenting Ahamb a small island language of Vanuatu London SOAS Endangered Languages Archive ELAR External links Edit Axamb resources in the OLAC Language Catalog Axamb resources in WorldCat The Story of the Reef Numbur in Ahamb and English Ahamb phrases and texts 1999 This article about Southern Oceanic languages is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Axamb language amp oldid 1138152515, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
