Unua language


Unua, or Onua, is an Oceanic language spoken in south-east Malekula, Vanuatu. It is said to be a dialect of the same language, Unua-Pangkumu, as Rerep.

Phonology

The following table lists the contrastive consonant sounds of Unua. There are 16 consonant phonemes for younger Unua speakers and an additional three contrastive velarized labial consonants for older speakers, shown below in parentheses.
Consonant Phonemes of Unua
BilabialLabiovelarDental/alveolarAlveopalatalVelar
Voiceless plosivesptk
Voiced plosivesmbndɳg
Affricatetʃ
Fricativesβsɣ
Nasalsmn
Rhotic/TrillsmBɾ,r
Lateralsl

The following table lists the contrastive vowel sounds of Unua. Younger speakers have five vowel phonemes and older speakers have an additional three, shown in parentheses.
Vowel Phonemes of Unua
FrontCentralBack
Highiu
Mide o
Lowa

Grammar

Unua has SVO ordering.