South Marquesan language

South Marquesan is the Marquesic, East Central Polynsian language spoken in the southern Marquesas Islands, as well as on Ua Huka in the northern Marquesas.

Related Topics:
Marquesic - East Central Polynsian language - Marquesas Islands - Ua Huka

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The three most noticeable differences between it and North Marquesan are its preference for /n/, /f/ and /{{IPA|ʔ}}/ (glottal stop) in some cases where North Marquesan uses /k/, /h/ and /k/.

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This difference can be seen in such pairs as

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:North Marquesan South Marquesan

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::haka fana (bay)

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::ha`e fa`e (house)

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::koe `oe (you (singular))

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Even the name of the island Ua Huka is, in South Marquesan, "Ua Huna".

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The dialects fall roughly into four groups:

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:Pepane: Eastern Hiva `Oa

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:Fatu Hiva

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:Nuku: Western Hiva `Oa and Tahuata

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:Ua Huka, spoken on that island, and closely related to those of eastern Hiva Oa

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