# Vanimo language

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Skou language of Papua New Guinea

Vanimo Native to Papua New Guinea Region Sandaun Province Ethnicity Dumo people, Dusur Native speakers (2,700 cited 2000 census)[1] Language family Skou Western Vanimo Dialects Dusur (Duso) Dumo (Vanimo) Language codes ISO 639-3 vam Glottolog vani1248 ELP Vanimo

**Vanimo** (Wanimo, Manimo) is a [Skou language](/source/Skou_languages) of [Papua New Guinea](/source/Papua_New_Guinea) which extends from Leitre to Wutung on the Papua New Guinea - Indonesian border.

## Phonology

The Duso dialect of Vanimo is unusual in not having any phonemic [velar consonants](/source/Velar_consonant), though it does have phonetic [ŋ].[2]

The vowels (Dumo dialect) are,

Front Central Back Close i u Close-mid e~eɪ ø o Open-mid ɛ~æ ɔ Open a

All occur nasalized, varying phonetically between a nasal vowel and a vowel followed by consonantal [ŋ]. Nasal /u/ may be realized as a syllabic [ŋ̍].

In Dumo, there are no velar consonants apart from this [ŋ] (and also as noted below). The other consonants are,

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Nasal m n ɲ ŋ Stop p b t d Fricative ɸ β s ɦ Approximant j~dʲ~dʒ w Lateral Approximant l

Consonant clusters are /pl, bl, ml, ɲv, hv, hm, hn, hɲ, hj/ (hv and hm may be allophones). /ɲv/ is pronounced [ŋβ]. There are no coda consonants apart from [ŋ].

/k, ɡ, ŋ/ do occur in Dusö dialect. They correspond to /ɦ/ or zero in Dumo.

Dumo syllables may have either a 'high' or a 'long' tone. There is strict syllable timing, a 'long'-toned syllable takes the entire time allotted for a syllable, whereas with a high-tone or atonic syllable, there is a slight gap between it and the following syllable. Ross writes high tone with a *grave* accent, and long tone with an acute accent. A syllable with a nasal vowel / coda [ŋ] is not necessarily long, it may have any of the three tones.

## Vocabulary

The majority of Vanimo words contain either one, two, three, or four syllables.

### Personal pronouns

The pronoun system in Vanimo accommodates its grammatical gender system. The "masculine" and "feminine" 2nd and 3rd person pronouns, along with their primary uses for referring to people, can also be used for non-animate nouns or common nouns in correspondance with their grammatical gender. An example of this would be the pronoun *ébu*, which can be used both to mean *you* (in which all three members of the group being referred to as *you* are female), or to mean *you* ( in which the group being referred to as *you*, is made up of three common nouns that are all grammatically female). In the table below *?* is used to represent unknown or undocumented words.

Singular Dual Trial Plural 1st exc. né nimi nihò ni 1st inc. ? nimivo nihò nivo 2nd (masc.) mi ? éhò é/évo 2nd (fem.) mi ? ébu é/évo 3rd (masc.) hé déhé déhò dé 3rd (fem.) bé débé débu dé

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-e18_1-0)** [Vanimo](https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/vam/) at *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Malcolm Ross, 1980, "Some elements of Vanimo, a New Guinea tone language"

## Further reading

- Clifton, John M. (1995). ["Organised Phonology Data"](http://www-01.sil.org/pacific/png/pubs/928474542501/Vanimo_OPD.pdf) (PDF). {{[cite journal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_journal)}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#missing_periodical))

v t e Skou languages Piore River Bauni (Barupu, Warapu) Uni (Ramo) Bouni (Sumo) Bobe (Nouri) Serra Hills Puari Rawo Womo Western Skou Leitre Skou Vanimo Wutung Sangke Others I'saka

v t e Languages of Papua New Guinea Official languages English Hiri Motu Tok Pisin Papua New Guinean Sign Language Major Indigenous languages Adzera Amanab Awad Bing Barok Bimin Bola Bugawac Dedua Dobu Iatmul Kâte Kobon Kovai Kuanua Kuman Kuot Kurti Lihir Mandara Mangseng Mbula Mende Mussau-Emira Mutu Nekgini Ngaing Niwer Mil Nobonob Numanggang Nyindrou Pele-Ata Petats Ramoaaina Seimat Solong Somba-Siawari Suau Sulka Tangga Tobo Uneapa Ura Vitu Waris Other Papuan languages Angan Akoye Angaataha Ankave Hamtai Kamasa Kawacha Menya Safeyoka Simbari Susuami Tainae Yagwoia Yipma Awin–Pa Awin Pa Binanderean Baruga Binandere Ewage Korafe Orokaiva Suena Yekora Zia Bosavi Aimele Beami Edolo Kaluli Kasua Onobasulu Sonia Chimbu–Wahgi Chuave Dom Golin Kandawo Kaugel Kuman Maring Melpa Narak Nii Nomane Salt-Yui Sinasina Tembagla Wahgi New Ireland Bilur Fanamaket Kandas Konomala Kuanua Label Niwer Mil Patpatar Ramoaaina Siar Sursurunga Warwar Feni Duna–Pogaya Duna Pogaya East Kutubuan Fasu Fiwaga Foi East Strickland Fembe Gobasi Konai Kubo Odoodee Samo Engan Angal Bisorio Enga Huli Ipili Kewa Kyaka Lembena Samberigi Eleman Kaki Ae Keoru Opao Orokolo Toaripi Tairuma Ok–Oksapmin Bimin Faiwol Mian Ngalum Ninggerum Oksapmin Setaman Suganga Telefol Tifal Urap Yonggom Teberan Dadibi Folopa Tirio Abom Baramu Bitur Tirio Were Turama–Kikorian Ikobi Omati Rumu Larger families Finisterre–Huon Kainantu–Goroka Madang Ramu–Lower Sepik Sepik Southeast Papuan Torricelli Sign languages Enga Kailge Mehek Mount Avejaha Rossel Island Sinasina Wanib

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vanimo language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanimo_language) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanimo_language?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.