{{Short description|Oceanic language spoken in Fiji}} {{Infobox language | name = Western Fijian | states = Fiji | region = western half of Viti Levu, Yasawa Islands and Mamanuca Islands | speakers = 57,000 | date = 1977 | ref = e18 | familycolor = Austronesian | fam2 = Malayo-Polynesian (MP) | fam3 = Oceanic | fam4 = Central Pacific | fam5 = West Fijian – Rotuman | fam6 = West Fijian | iso3 = wyy | glotto = west2519 | glottorefname = Western Fijian | altname = Wayan }}
'''Western Fijian''', also known as '''Wayan'''<ref name=Blust/>{{rp|212}} is an Oceanic language spoken in Fiji by about 57,000 people.
It is distinct from Eastern Fijian (also known as Bauan or Standard Fijian).
==Phonology== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Western Fijian consonant phonemes<ref name=Blust/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Geraghty |first=Paul |chapter=Nadrogā |location=Richmond |publisher=Curzon |year=2002 |editor-first1=John |editor-last1=Lynch |editor-first2=Malcolm |editor-last2=Ross |editor-first3=Terry |editor-last3=Crowley |title=The Oceanic Languages |pages=833–847}}</ref> |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Labial ! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Dental/<br>Alveolar ! rowspan="2" |Palatal ! scope="col" colspan="2" | Velar ! rowspan="2" |Glottal |- class=small ! scope="col" | plain ! scope="col" | {{abbr|lab.|Labialized}} |- ! scope="row" colspan="2"| Nasal | {{IPA link|m}} {{IPA link|mː}} || {{IPA link|n}} | || {{IPA link|ŋ}} || {{IPA link|ŋʷ}} | |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Plosive ! <small>voiced/pren.</small> | {{IPA link|ᵐb}}|| {{IPA link|ⁿd}} | {{IPA link|ⁿdʒ}}|| {{IPA link|ᵑɡ}} || {{IPA link|ᵑɡʷ}} | |- ! scope="row" | <small>voiceless</small> | || {{IPA link|t}} | {{IPA link|tʃ}}|| {{IPA link|k}} || {{IPA link|kʷ}} |({{IPA link|ʔ}}) |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Fricative ! scope="row" | <small>voiced</small> | {{IPA link|β}}|| {{IPA link|ð}} | || || | |- ! scope="row" | <small>voiceless</small> | || {{IPA link|s}} | || || | {{IPA link|h}} |- ! scope="row" colspan="2"| Trill | || {{IPA link|r}} {{IPA link|ⁿr}} | || || | |- ! scope="row" colspan="2"| Approximant | {{IPA link|w}} || {{IPA link|l}} | {{IPA link|j}} || || | |} {{IPA|/mː/}} is heard in the Wayan dialect.<ref name="Blust" />{{Rp|page=212}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+Western Fijian vowel phonemes<ref name=Blust/> ! !scope="col" | Front !scope="col" | Central !scope="col" | Back |- !scope="row" | High |{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|iː}} | |{{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|uː}} |- !scope="row" | Mid |{{IPA link|e}} {{IPA link|eː}} | |{{IPA link|o}} {{IPA link|oː}} |- !scope="row" | Low | |{{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|aː}} | |}
Most Fijian languages have a unique prenasalized alveolar trill, transcribed here as {{angbr|ⁿr}}. Western Fijian in particular, is unique among Fijian languages for having labialized velar consonants. All vowels come in long and short forms, and so does the bilabial nasal (/m/).<ref name=Blust>{{cite book|isbn=978-0858836020|title=The Austronesian languages|last1=Blust|first1=R. A|last2=Pacific Linguistics|first2=Australian National University|year=2009}}</ref>{{rp|212}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Languages of Fiji}} {{Central Pacific languages}} {{Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages}}
Category:West Fijian languages Category:Languages of Fiji
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