Lo-Toga language

Lo-Toga is an Oceanic language spoken by about 580 people on the islands of Lo and Toga, in the Torres group of northern Vanuatu.^[2] The language has sometimes been called Loh [sic] or Toga, after either of its two dialects.

Lo-Toga
Loh, Toga
Native to	Vanuatu
Region	Torres Islands
Native speakers	580 (2012)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Southern Oceanic North-Central Vanuatu North Vanuatu Torres-Banks Lo-Toga
Dialects	Lo, Toga
Language codes
ISO 639-3	lht
Glottolog	loto1240
ELP	Lo-Toga

A Lo-Toga speaker, recorded in Vanuatu.

Name

The language is named after the two islands where it is spoken: Lo and Toga.

Situation and dialects

Its 580 speakers live mostly in Lo and Toga, the two main islands in the southern half of the Torres group. The same language is also spoken by the small populations of the two other islands of Linua and Tegua.

Lo-Toga is itself divided into two very close dialects, Lo (spoken on Lo island) and Toga (spoken on Toga). The inhabitants of northern Vanuatu generally don't draw a distinction between dialects and languages.^[3]

Conversely, Lo-Toga is a distinct language from the other language of the Torres group, Hiw.

Phonology

The Lo dialect of Lo-Toga phonemically contrasts 16 consonants and 13 vowels.^[4]

Consonants

Lo-Toga consonants^[4]

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Dorsal	Labialized velar	Glottal
Nasal	m ⟨m⟩	n ⟨n⟩		ŋ ⟨n̄⟩	ŋʷ ⟨n̄w⟩
Plosive	p ⟨p⟩	t ⟨t⟩	ʈ͡ʂ ⟨d⟩	k ⟨k⟩	kʷ ⟨q⟩
Fricative	β ⟨v⟩	s ⟨s⟩		ɣ ⟨g⟩		h ⟨h⟩
Rhotic		r ⟨r⟩
Lateral		l ⟨l⟩
Glide					w ⟨w⟩

Vowels

The 13 vowel phonemes of the Lo dialect include 8 monophthongs /i e ɛ a ə ɔ o ʉ/, and five diphthongs /i͡e i͡ɛ i͡a o͡ə o͡ɔ/.^[5][4]

Lo-Toga vowels

	Monophthongs				Diphthongs
	Front	Central	Back		Front	Back
Close	i ⟨i⟩	ʉ ⟨u⟩
Close-mid	e ⟨ē⟩		o ⟨ō⟩		i͡e ⟨iē⟩
Mid	ə ⟨e⟩					o͡ə ⟨ōe⟩
Open-mid	ɛ ⟨ë⟩		ɔ ⟨o⟩		i͡ɛ ⟨ië⟩	o͡ɔ ⟨ōo⟩
Open	a ⟨a⟩				i͡a ⟨ia⟩

Stress may either fall on the penultimate or final syllable, reminiscent of the neighboring Hiw language.

Grammar

Lo-Toga presents various forms of verb serialization.^[6]

The system of personal pronouns contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes three numbers (singular, dual, plural).^[7]

Together with its neighbour Hiw, Lo-Toga has developed a rich system of verbal number, whereby certain verbs change their root depending on the number of their main participant.^[8] Lo-Toga has 18 such pairs of verbs.

Spatial reference in Lo-Toga is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is in part typical of Oceanic languages, and yet innovative.^[9]