Whitesands, or East Tanna, is a language spoken on the eastern coast of Tanna Island in Vanuatu. It is closely related to the North Tanna and Lenakel languages.[2]

Whitesands
East Tanna
Native toVanuatu
RegionTanna Island, east coast
Native speakers
7,500 (2001)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3tnp
Glottologwhit1269
Whitesands is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Phonology

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Consonants

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[3]: 9 
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive p t k
Fricative f s x h
Rhotic r ɹ
Lateral l
Semivowel w j

Vowels

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[3]: 8 
Front Central Back
Close i ə u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open ɐ

References

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  1. ^ Whitesands at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Hammond, J. (2009). The grammar of nouns and verbs in Whitesands, an oceanic language of Southern Vanuatu. Master Thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney. link
  3. ^ a b Hammond, Jeremy (June 2009). "The Grammar of Nouns and Verbs in Whitesands, an Oceanic Language of Southern Vanuatu" (PDF). CORE.