Minaveha

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A language of Papua New Guinea

ISO 639-3
mvn
Alternate Names
Kukuya, Minavega
Population

2,300 (2007 SIL), increasing. 600 monolinguals.

Location

Milne Bay Province, Bolubolu district, southwest Fergusson island near Mapamoiwa station.

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic, Papuan Tip, Nuclear, North Papuan Mainland-D’Entrecasteaux, Are-Taupota, Taupota
Dialects

Lexical similarity: 60% with Iamalele [yml] (most similar), Koluwawa [klx], and Bwaidoka [bwd].

Typology

SOV

Language Use

Vigorous. Used by Koluwawa [klx] as L2. All domains. All ages. Positive attitudes. About 1,400 also use English [eng], Bwaidoka [bwd], Iamalele [yml], or Koluwawa [klx]. English use steadily increasing.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 35%. Literacy rate in L2: 15%–25%. 1,100 can read, 400 can write. Taught in primary schools as of 2011. Poetry. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2008.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Minaveha
Writing
Latin script.
Other Comments

Kukuya, a prominent village name, used by others as glossonym. Little arable land, and population increase endangers the future of agriculture. Traditional religion, Christian.