This reference grammar covers the phonology, morphology, and syntax of the language of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. It is the result of a long and sustained effort, inexorably entwined with that of the Marshallese-English Dictionary, published in 1976. Following a general introduction that situates the islands and their people in the cultural and historical context of Micronesia, chapters examine the sound system of Marshallese and survey the more important characteristics of the two major parts of speech, nouns and verbs; a section on the nine major verb classes is included. Special attention is given to a complex set of directional adverbs used in predicates of all sorts and from which back-and-forth verbs are formed. The final chapter analyzes Marshallese sentences, focusing on the sentences themselves and on considerations that apply at the sentence level. The identification of five case relations and of verbs that are impersonal provides explanations for seeming problems of grammatical agreement. The grammar avoids technical terminology, especially in the early chapters, and is aimed at educated laypersons—teachers and college students—who either speak the language or are motivated to learn it. It is rich with examples for each topic, including words exemplifying the contrasts in the sound system and sentences that highlight special points and intricacies in constructions such as cleft sentences and the phenomenon known as switch reference.

"This collection of articles and interviews explores policy, practice and attitudes relating to the use of Pacific languages in education systems of most Pacific Island countries and territories, from pre-school to tertiary level. It records history ; it deals with current attitudes and prejudices ; and it focuses attention on perceived problems with the medium of education in many parts of the region."--Back cover

Spoken Marshallese is designed to fill the need for a basic text in the language of the Marshall Islands. It will give students a fluency in the language and a feeling for its structure, enabling him or her to converse freely on a broad range of subjects without additional formal instruction. The Marshallese-English Dictionary, by Takaji Abo, Byron W. Bender, Alfred Capelle, and Tony DeBrum, would be useful as a supplement to this text.

Long and Imamura examine language contact phenomena in the Asia Pacific region in the context of early 20th-century colonial history, focusing on the effects the Japanese language continues to have over island societies in the Pacific. Beginning in the early 20th century when these islands were taken over by the Japanese Empire and continuing into the 21st century, the book examines 5,150 Japanese-origin loanwords used in 14 different languages. It delves into semantic, phonological, and grammatical changes in these loanwords that form a fundamental part of the lexicons of the Pacific Island languages, even now in the 21st century. The authors examine the usage of Japanese kana for writing some of the local languages and the pidginoid phenomena of Angaur Island. Readers will gain a unique understanding of the Japanese language’s usage in the region from colonial times through the post-war period and well into the current century. Researchers, students, and practitioners in the fields of sociolinguistics, language policy, and Japanese studies will find this book particularly useful for the empirical evidence it provides regarding language contact situations and the various Japanese language influences in the Asia Pacific region. The authors also offer accompanying e-resources that help to further illustrate the examples found in the book.

Spoken Marshallese is designed to fill the need for a basic text in the language of the Marshall Islands. It will give students a fluency in the language and a feeling for its structure, enabling him or her to converse freely on a broad range of subjects without additional formal instruction. The Marshallese-English Dictionary, by Takaji Abo, Byron W. Bender, Alfred Capelle, and Tony DeBrum, would be useful as a supplement to this text.

This is the first attempt to present for native speakers of Mokilese the essential features of the language. Written primarily for a lay audience with no prior knowledge of linguistics, this work will be useful as well to the professional linguist seeking data on a Micronesian language. The grammar covers the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Mokilese. Separate treatment is given to the nominal reference system, quantification and counting, possession, transitivity, modality, direction markers, verbal aspect, complex sentences, derivation, and questions of topicalization and focus. An appendix discusses problems in devising an orthography for Mokilese and the methodology employed.

Here is the most comprehensive description to date of the indigenous language of the island of Ponape. Designed as a reference volume for Ponapean educators, particularly those working in bilingual education programs, this work will also be of value to English-speaking students of Ponapean and to scholars of other Pacific languages and cultures. The grammar begins with useful background information on Ponape and Ponapean and then systematically explores the phonology, morphology, and syntax of this language. Separate treatment is given to Ponapean honorific speech styles. Also included are an appendix of current Ponapean spelling conventions and a bibliography of selected books and articles useful in the study of this language. This new work is a companion volume to the Ponapean-English Dictionary by the same authors.

Chapters: Tonogenesis in the North Huon Gulf Chain Ross, Malcolm D Uses of phonation type in Javanese Poedjosoedarmo, Gloria R Voicing and vowel height in Madurese: a preliminary report Cohn, Abigail C Phan Rang Cham and Utsat: Tonogenetic themes and variants Thurgood, Graham Tone in Utsat Maddieson, Ian and Keng-Fong Pang Overview of Austronesian and Philippine accent patterns Zorc, R. David Western Cham as a register language Edmondson, Jerold A. and Kenneth J. Gregerson Tonogenesis in New Caledonia Rivierre, Jean-Claude Proto-Austronesian stress Wolff, John U Proto-Micronesian prosody Rehg, Kenneth L Austronesian final consonants and the origin of Chinese tones Sagart, Laurent

A systematic presentation of the overall grammatical structure of Woleaian, spoken in the Caroline Islands. For those who want to learn the language and for linguists who are interested for theoretical purposes.

The Yapese reference grammar is a comprehensive survey of the Yapese language. All important aspects of the language—phonology, morphology, and syntax—are discussed at both the phrase and sentence levels of structure. Useful features of the text are the extensive cross-referencing, a glossary of relevant linguistic terms, and an index. Though the book is aimed primarily at speakers of the language—both students and teachers—on the island of Yap, the text has been so organized as to be useful also to others interested in the language. Thus, the linguist, the scientist, and the general reader with an interest in language may profit from study of the text.