Mele-Fila
Facts
- Language: Mele-Fila
- Alternate names: Fila-Mele, Ifara-Mele
- Language code: mxe
- Language family: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central Pacific linkage, Tokelau-Fijian, Polynesian, Nuclear Polynesian, Vanuatu-Loyalty Outliers, Mele-Futuna
- Number of speakers: 3500
- Script:
More information:
Introduction
Mele-Fila is a language of Vanuatu. It is spoken in Efate, Mele village (over 2,000); Ifara island (1,000) (Lynch and Crowley 2001).
Dialects
Fila (Efira, Fira, Ifira), Mele. Significant differences between Mele and Fila.
The Mele-Fila Verb
Verblist
- f/fura -- to swell
- fasi/a, kooti/a, sere/a, tuu/jia -- to cut, hack
- fau/sia -- to tie up, fasten
- firi/a -- to choose
- kai -- to eat
- kaiaa -- to steal
- kake -- to climb
- karu/karu -- to scratch
- kata -- to laugh
- kati/a -- to bite
- kau -- to swim
- koom/ia -- to suck
- maanatu -- to think
- mataku -- to fear
- mate -- to die, be dead
- memiti -- to dream
- moe -- to lie down
- moe -- to sleep
- mumuni -- to hide
- nofo -- to sit
- paaki/a, saa-ia, ta/ia, tuki/a -- to hit
- r/rua/ -- to vomit
- rere -- to fly
- ro/rogo -- to hear
- sale -- to walk
- sau -- to blow
- somo, tupu -- to grow
- suki/a, taaro/a -- to stab, pierce
- ta/ia -- to kill
- tagi -- to cry
- tao/na -- to cook
- tapasi/a -- to split
- tui/a -- to sew
- tuki/a -- to pound, beat
- tuu -- to stand
- tuugia -- to burn
- unu -- to drink