Description:
Tamambo is an Oceanic language spoken by at least 3,000 people on Malo and nearby islands in Vanuatu.
/i u/ become [j w] respectively when unstressed and before another vowel. /o/ may also become [w] for some speakers.
The prenasalized postalveolar stop /ɟ/ is often affricated and voiceless, i.e. [tʃ].
Younger speakers often realize /β/ as [f] initially and [v] medially, while /βʷ/ is often replaced by [w].
/x/ is usually realized as [x] initially, but some speakers use [h]. Medially, it may be pronounced as any of [x ɣ h ɦ ɡ].
Few speakers of Tamambo are literate, and there is no standard orthography. Spelling conventions used include:..... full article at Wikipedia |