Wuvulu Grammar and Vocabulary

Abstract

This dissertation is a description of Wuvulu, an Oceanic language spoken on Wuvulu Island, the westmost member of the Admiralty Islands, located about 150 miles from the north coast of Papua New Guinea. As Admiralty languages are not well-documented, the present work provides typologically critical linguistic data that augment what is currently known of the phonological as well as morphosyntactic typology of Oceanic languages. Wuvulu exhibits features of a canonic Oceanic language such as SVO constituent order, verbal subject/object clitics, and realis/irrealis for past and future events (Ross, 2004b), yet it demonstrates several interesting innovations in its morphosyntax, particularly in the complexity and richness of its verbal morphology. The grammar is written from a functional perspective (Foley & Van Valin, 1984; Van Valin & LaPolla, 1997; Dik, 1997a/b) and discusses important features of the language, including linguistic affiliation and sociolinguistic context, in addition to phonology, morphology, and syntax. The vocabulary section consists of more than 2000 lexical items, including species of flora, fauna, and fishes. Audio files of Wuvulu narratives that served as a basis for the examples cited in the grammar and much of the vocabulary have been archived at the Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC) and are available online.