Mav̋ea language
These native speakers of Mavea belong to Generation 1, 2, and 3[further explanation needed] which ranges from the ages of 20–80 years old.[2] (This is a slight variation compared with the convention, shared by other Vanuatu languages, of transcribing linguolabials using two dots, respectively as p̈; v̈; m̈.)These free pronouns do not change for gender, but shows numerical differences, including singular, plural, dual, or paucal.[2] For example: Proper nouns includes personal names, vocatives, relational terms, and locatives.[5] Aro and nel(e) can also function as demonstrative determiners, and aro specifically only rarely appears as a pronoun,[5] as in: Mo-ṽe3SG-makemo-pal3SG-likearohere[maCOMPmo-pailu]3SG-bentMo-ṽe mo-pal aro [ma mo-pailu]3SG-make 3SG-like here COMP 3SG-bent'He makes (it) like this one here that is bent'[5]Maro ('this one') is used to refer to something nearby the speaker, and has the plural form maror,[5] which is formed by affixing the plural suffix -re:[6] OrmaybemeFUTrothenka-var1SG.IRR-talksuraboutmarothis.onemaCOMPmatua=kuright=1SG.POSSmo-adia3SG-firstOr me ro ka-var sur maro ma matua=ku mo-adiamaybe FUT then 1SG.IRR-talk about this.one COMP right=1SG.POSS 3SG-first'Maybe I will talk about this one that (is) on my right first'[6]MaCOMPpula-iraCLF-3PLmarorthese.onesiLIGṽat.fourMa pula-ira maror i ṽat.COMP CLF-3PL these.ones LIG four'(The ones) that (are) theirs (are) these four ones.'[6]Male ('that one') on the other hand is used when speaking of something that is distant to the speaker,[5] both literally, as in Malethat.onem̃atanCOMPmeFUTra-lsu3PL-hitmate=i=odead=TR=2SGMale m̃atan me ra-lsu mate=i=othat.one COMP FUT 3PL-hit dead=TR=2SG'That one (was) for the purpose that they would kill you'[7]And metaphorically, in order to distance the speaker from the referent,[6] as in NabutvatavatawomanleDETmo-pelmel3SG-like.thispaingur,stubbornmalethat.onemeFUTi-l-ṽe3SG.IRR-IMPF-makeTomyTomypelmellike.thisNa vatavata le mo-pelmel paingur, male me i-l-ṽe Tomy pelmelbut woman DET 3SG-like.this stubborn that.one FUT 3SG.IRR-IMPF-make Tomy like.this'But this woman is stubborn like this, that one will be making Tomy the same'[6]Malere is the plural form of male,[5] and like maror is formed by affixing the plural -re:[6] Malerethese.onesda-sops-varvara1PL.INCL-NEG-talknira.3PLMalere da-sops-varvara nira.these.ones 1PL.INCL-NEG-talk 3PL'These ones, we don't talk to them.'[6]Maro and male are both formed by combining the complementizer ma- and a locative adverbial; aro for the former, and ale for the latter.[6] Demonstrative determiners can refer to a location in both time and space, but the spatial location is often discourse-related, rather than speaker-related,[11] as in the following example, where aro is used to refer anaphorically to a party (anana) that has previously been mentioned in the text: RePLm̃asibird.fishnireveveryonera-ṽa3PL-gonaLOCanan-aeat-NMZaro.hereRe m̃asi nirev ra-ṽa na anan-a aro.PL bird.fish everyone 3PL-go LOC eat-NMZ here'All the birds went to this party.'The demonstrative determiners of Mavea follow the head noun when used adnominally, a pattern which is the norm in oceanic languages, though by no means universal.[10]Or more rarely prior to the verb's core argument, as shown in: Ṽisio-nmeat=3SG.POSSmarothis.onemo-an3SG-eatnna.3SGṼisio-n maro mo-an nna.meat=3SG.POSS this.one 3SG-eat 3SG'His flesh, this one ate it.Personal pronouns in Mavea do not inflect for case or gender, but do show number (singular, dual, paucal, plural).[16] meFUTrothennno2SGmeFUTko2SG-l-IMPF-suruv-sleepatano,groundnabutnao1SGmeFUTrothenka1SG.IRRsuruv-sleepaulaboveperebranch-n-CONSvuaetreeme ro nno me ko -l -suruv atano, na nao me ro ka suruv aul pere -n vuaeFUT then 2SG FUT 2SG -IMPF -sleep ground but 1SG FUT then 1SG.IRR -sleep above branch -CONS tree"You, you will sleep on the ground, but I, I will sleep in the tree"Bound pronouns are obligatory at the beginning of a predicate phrase.[17] Varuabirdnno2SGko-kolai=ao2SG-lie=1SGVarua nno ko-kolai=aobird 2SG 2SG-lie=1SG"Cardinal, you lied to me"[19]The Mavea counting system is very similar to other Proto Oceanic languages, especially numbers 1 through 5, and 10.Alternatively, if no suffix exists for the person and number of the possessor, the nouns are followed by an independent pronoun.[20] The semantic classes of nouns participating in direct possessive constructions, include, body parts, and bodily functions, kinship terms, articles of clothing, and household goods.'[20]If a full NP expresses the possessor, the possessee takes the construct suffix –n, or can be pronounces [na], although this construct suffix is a homophony of the possessive clitic –n and –na the distribution is different as displayed in the following examples;[21] Note that the case of Full NP, the possessee precedes the possessor Ra-tau3PL-putese-nname-CONSPiria.wild.yamRa-tau ese-n Piria.3PL-put name-CONS wild.yam'They named it Piria'[22]and Natu-nchild-CONSvomaedovemo-sa3SG-go.upmo-sakel3SG-sitnaLOCpatu-nhead-CONSkou.fowlNatu-n vomae mo-sa mo-sakel na patu-n kou.child-CONS dove 3SG-go.up 3SG-sit LOC head-CONS fowl'Dove's child went up and sat on Fowl's head.[21] There are six classifiers in Mavea: classifier "a-" infers that the item is possessed is meant to be eaten Mo-vir3sG-throwlokolaplapa=na.CLF.eat=3SG.POSSMo-vir loko a=na.3sG-throw laplap CLF.eat=3SG.POSS'She threw his laplap (to eat)'[24]If the possessor is a full NP, the classifier is market with the construct -n Nira3plra-ve3PL-makeinananfoodvaiseseasmalla-nCLF.eat-CONSrePLfamli.familyNira ra-ve inanan vaisesea a-n re famli.3pl 3PL-make food small CLF.eat-CONS PL family'They make a small party for the families (to eat)'[24]Summarised N CLF -n Personal Noun N CLF -n Specific N (-human) -i [25] Intonation is used to distinguish yes–no questions because there is no syntactic way to do so.SopoNEGtesometa-mavea...from-Mav̋eaSopo te ta-mavea...NEG some from-Mav̋eaThere is not one Mav̋ea man...To show the aspectual meaning "not yet", /lo/ is added to the negation marker /sopo/.