Nume language

Nume (also called Gog and Tarasag) is an Oceanic language spoken on Gaua island in Vanuatu. Its 700 speakers live on the northeast coast of Gaua.

Nume is a distinct language from its immediate southern neighbors, Mwerlap and Dorig.

Names
The name Nume originates in the name of a village, now abandoned. Tarasag is currently the community's main village. The alternate name Gog refers to the broader area, and by extension, to the island.

Phonology
Nume has 15 consonant phonemes.


 * /β/ can also be heard as [ɸ] among speakers.

Nume has 7 phonemic vowels, which are all short monophthongs.


 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! ! Front ! Back !Close !Near-close !Open-mid !Open
 * + Vowels
 * colspan="2"| $⟨q⟩$
 * }

Grammar
The system of personal pronouns in Nume contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes four numbers (singular, dual, trial, plural).

Spatial reference in Nume is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is typical of Oceanic languages.