Wena: Difference between revisions

'''Wena''' (also known as '''Hibu''', '''Hibuese''', '''Mannenese''' or '''Nenge''') is a language isolate spoken by around 60,000 people on the Hibu Islands in the Hibu Province of Papua New Guinea. It is called by its speakers either ''nenge wena'' or ''nenge wana'', both essentially meaning 'our language', the former using the exclusive word 'we, not you' and the latter using the inclusive word 'we, including you'. The closest land to the Hibu Islands is Simberi Island about 150 kilometres to the southwest. Nuguria Atoll is a similar distance away to the southeast. About half of the Wena people are monolingual, the other half also having knowledge of Tok Pisin and a much smaller percentage know English. Dialectal differences are little-documented and appear to be small, most likely owing to the high degree of travel around the island.

The distinction between '''''wena''''' "we" and '''''wana''''' "we" is that the latter includes any listeners whereas the former does not. In the second person, '''''wewa''''' is used to refer to a group with all members present and being addressed. '''''Wede''''' refers to a group whose members are not all present or being spoken to.

The simplest sentence type in Wena is an appellative clause, which consists of a single bare noun-phrase. The function of these clauses is to name the addressee. The meaning is the same as a clause beginning with '''''Wa i ...''''' 'You are ...' although in tone it is much more direct. The closest equivalent in English are the kind of vocative exclamations such as "Idiot!" or "Creep!" which are not used to gain attention but instead to make an assertion about the addressee.