Mele-Fila

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A language of Vanuatu

ISO 639-3
mxe
Alternate Names
Fila-Mele, Ifara-Mele, Ifira-Mele
User Population

3,500 (Lynch and Crowley 2001).

Location

Shefa province: Efate, Mele village; Ifira island.

Language Maps
Language Status

5* (Developing).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, Samoic-Outlier, Futunic
Dialects

Fila (Atara Ifira, Efira, Fira, Ifira), Mele (Atara Imere). Significant differences between Mele and Fila, but mutually intelligible (Clark 2002).

Typology

SVO; prepositions; noun head initial; both definite and indefinite articles, with ordinary and affectionate categories; dual and paucal numbers; tense and aspect; causatives; 15 consonants and 5 vowels; stress falls on antepenultimate syllable; inclusive/exclusive pronouns; alienable/inalienable possession; verb serialization.

Language Use

Also use South Efate [erk].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: 5%–10%. Literacy rate in L2: 75%–100%. NT: 1993.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Mele-Fila
Writing

Latin script [Latn].