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Seke (Vanuatu)

Seke (Vanuatu) is an Austronesian language spoken in Vanuatu. Glottolog rates it shifting.

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Seke (Vanuatu) · 15.9°S 168.2°E

Ske (or Seke) is an endangered language of south-western Pentecost island in Vanuatu. Ske is an Oceanic language (a branch of the Austronesian language family).

The Ske area comprises fourteen small villages centred on Baravet in south-central Pentecost, from Liavzendam (Levizendam) in the north to Hotwata in the south and extending inland to Vanliamit. Historically the language's area extended to parallel areas of the east coast, but this part of the island is now depopulated.

Due to intermarriage between language areas, an increasing number of people in Ske-speaking villages now speak Bislama as a first language, and Ske is no longer being actively transmitted to children. A closely related neighbouring language, Sowa, has already been totally displaced by Apma.

From Wikipedia · Ske language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Seke (Vanuatu)

MeaningWordRomanization
personazu*
namesia*
eyemsa*
eartil5a*
nosemso*
toothl3bu*
tonguemia*
hand5a*
bloodndena*
bonesi*
skinmbla*
liversiesna*
waterri
fireamb*
sunsial*
starmso*
stonebet*
mountaintiN*
treembaundia*
leafrusa*
nightmbuN*
dogmbumblibuk*
fishmaLok*
louseut*
onealfwal*
tworu*
Inou*
youiNk*
weint*
drinkmni*

* in the simplified ASJP transcription

Most similar languages

Vocabulary

  • SaAustronesian46% alike
  • SowaAustronesian44% alike
  • ApmaAustronesian42% alike
  • DorigAustronesian31% alike
  • TiraxAustronesian31% alike
  • BurmbarAustronesian31% alike

Grammar

Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.

Nearby languages

Elsewhere

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Glottolog · seke1241 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · ske