Vamale

MKT

moribund

Alternate Names: Hmwaeke, ’Moaeke, Pamale

Dialects: Hmwaeke, Vamale. Regarded as dialect of Voh-Koné (Wurm and Hattori 1981).

Genealogy:

Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian
Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
Oceanic
Central-Eastern Oceanic
Remote Oceanic
New Caledonian
Northern

Demographics: 100 (2009 census), decreasing. Estimated population based on census. 2009 census figures for all 6 Voh-Koné languages: 1,203.

Language Use: Endangered (2000 D. Tryon). Hmwaeke nearly extinct. Under pressure from Fwai [fwa], Cemuhi [cam], and French [fra] (Wurm 2007). Virtually no child speakers (Wurm 2007).

Nation of Origin: New Caledonia