Mav̋ea language
| Mavea | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Mavea Island |
Native speakers | 34 (2008) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mkv |
| Glottolog | mafe1237 |
| ELP | Mavea |
Mav̋ea is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Mavea (also rendered Mav̋ea, Mafea or Mavia) is an Oceanic language spoken on Mavea Island in Vanuatu, off the eastern coast of Espiritu Santo. It belongs to the North–Central Vanuatu linkage of Southern Oceanic. The total population of the island is approximately 172, with only 34 fluent speakers of the Mavea language reported in 2008.
There are 94 languages in the North Vanuatu linkage, including Mavea. The closest linguistic relative to Mavea, sharing a little over 70% of cognates, is Tutuba. Following Tutuba, Aore, South Malok, Araki, and Tangoa are the next closest relatives.