Namakura language



The Namakura language, Makura or Namakir, is an Oceanic language of Vanuatu. The language is spoken in Shefa Province, north Efate, Tongoa, and Tongariki. It is the only North-Central Vanuatu language to have preserved the Proto-Oceanic *q, reflected as a glottal stop.

Consonants

 * /v/ may also range to bilabial as, in free variation.
 * /h/ can also range to uvular as, in free variation.
 * /ⁿd/ can also range to a retroflex in free variation. When followed by a /r/, it is then realized as a trilled-articulated sound.
 * /r/ can be heard as a flap in initial position and as a trill  elsewhere.

Vowels

 * Two nasal vowel sounds [ẽ õ] are also rarely heard.
 * /i/ when preceding a vowel can be heard as a glide [j].