Whitesands language explained

Whitesands
Also Known As:	East Tanna
States:	Vanuatu
Region:	Tanna Island, east coast
Speakers:	7,500
Date:	2001
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Austronesian
Fam2:	Malayo-Polynesian
Fam3:	Oceanic
Fam4:	Southern Oceanic
Fam5:	South Vanuatu
Fam6:	Tanna
Iso3:	tnp
Glotto:	whit1269
Glottorefname:	Whitesands
Map:	Lang Status 99-NE.svg

Whitesands, or East Tanna, is a language spoken on the eastern coast of Tanna Island in Vanuatu. It is closely related to the North Tanna and Lenakel languages.^[1]

Phonology

Consonants

^[2]
	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Plosive	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Fricative	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Rhotic		pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Lateral		pronounced as /link/
Semivowel	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/

Vowels

!! Front! Central! Back
Close	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Mid	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Open		pronounced as /link/

References

Hammond, J. (2009). The grammar of nouns and verbs in Whitesands, an oceanic language of Southern Vanuatu. Master Thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney. link
The Grammar of Nouns and Verbs in Whitesands, an Oceanic Language of Southern Vanuatu. June 2009. CORE. Jeremy. Hammond.