- Source: Nanumea dialect
The Nanumea dialect, also known as te 'Gana Faka Nanumea or Nanumean, is a dialect of Tuvaluan, also considered by some to be a separate language, spoken on the island of Nanumea in northern Tuvalu. It is part of the Northern dialect group of Tuvaluan, and is closely related to other Polynesian languages, especially the languages of the Polynesian outliers, such as Tuvaluan, Nukuoro, Kapingamarani, Samoan and Tokelauan, and less so related to more well-known Polynesian languages such as Māori and 'Ōlelo Hawai'i.
Phonology
Nanumea's phonemes are the same as to the phonemes of other northern dialects of the Tuvaluan language, as can be observed:
= Vowels
== Consonants
=Consonants can also be germinated, just like Tuvaluan.
Challenges
Nanumea (the island) can possibly be completely below sea level in the near future, which is also a threat to te 'Gana Faka Nanumea, due to if the atoll is no longer there, there will be no use for Nanumean.
Similarities and differences with standard Tuvaluan
References
Further reading
Tuvaluan Language
Nanumea atoll
Fatele, Fakanau, Fakaseasesa
Polynesian outliers
