Native to Solomon Islands Glottolog natu1250 | Native speakers 5,900 (1999) | |
Region Santa Cruz Islands, Eastern Solomons. Language family Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian
Oceanic
Temotu ?
Reefs – Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz ISO 639-3 stc – inclusive code
Individual codes:
ntu – Natügu
nlz – Nalögo | ||
The Santa Cruz language (locally known as Natügu) is the main language spoken on the island of Nendö or 'Santa Cruz', in the Solomon Islands.
Contents
Genetic affiliation
It was widely believed until recently that Santa Cruz was a Papuan language. Like the rest of the Reefs – Santa Cruz languages, however, it has been shown to be a member of the Austronesian language family.
Dialects
Dialects are Bënwë (Banua), Londai, Malo, Nea, Nooli. Speakers of most dialects understand Lwowa and Mbanua well. The Nea and Nooli dialects are the most divergent, actually a separate language (Nalögo).
References
Santa Cruz language Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA