Wena: Difference between revisions
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'''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 islands. | '''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 islands. | ||
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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. ''''' | 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. '''''Wade''''' refers to a group whose members are not all present or being spoken to. | ||
All the pronouns have distinct genitive forms equivalent to being preceded with '''''ya'''''. For example, '''''ya na''''' is equivalent to '''''nga''''', with the former being more emphatic and the latter being more common. The forms are shown in the following table. | All the pronouns have distinct genitive forms equivalent to being preceded with '''''ya'''''. For example, '''''ya na''''' is equivalent to '''''nga''''', with the former being more emphatic and the latter being more common. The forms are shown in the following table. | ||
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===''Nenge la''=== | ===''Nenge la''=== | ||
===''Nenge hu''=== | ===''Nenge hu''=== | ||
[[Category:Languages]] | |||
[[Category:Conlangs]] | |||