Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Hiu, Torres, Torres Island
CLASSIFICATION		Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Northern Vanuatu
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		hiw
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Australia and the Pacific” (424-557) . Stephen A Wurm (2007) Routledge

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
120
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
In 1983, 120 speakers were reported, though in 1981, only fifty were said to exist.

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

MORE ON VITALITY

Speaker numbers are dwindling.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Bislama

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

The influence of the national language Bislama may be a reason for dwindling speaker number, as may emigration.

More on Orthography

Some literacy in language

PLACES: Torres Islands, Vanuatu

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Hiw Island

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
150
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 2007 (Francois)

PLACES: Vanuatu;

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
150
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
120
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
280
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Vanuatu

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "[Spoken on] Hiw... the northernmost island of the Vanuatu archipelago."

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
150
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 2004

			2010	Phonotactics and the prestopped velar lateral in Hiw: Resolving the ambiguity of a complex segment		393-434		Cambridge University Press	Phonology	27			Alexandre François	Alexandre François. 2010. "Phonotactics and the Prestopped Velar Lateral in Hiw: Resolving the Ambiguity of a Complex Segment." In Phonology, 27: 393-434. Cambridge University Press.		280		100-999				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)			Vanuatu	"[Spoken on] Hiw... the northernmost island of the Vanuatu archipelago."	-13.153039,166.561607
			2005	Unraveling the history of the vowels of seventeen Northern Vanuatu languages		443-504		University of Hawai'i Press	Oceanic Linguistics	44			Alexandre François	Alexandre François. 2005. "Unraveling the History of the Vowels of Seventeen Northern Vanuatu Languages." In Oceanic Linguistics, 44: 443-504. University of Hawai'i Press.		150	2004	100-999				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
		16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International			Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	150	2007 (Francois)	100-999				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)			Vanuatu;
		3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing			Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub	150		100-999				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					-13.1343,166.5671
070071197X	3	1	2007	Australia and the Pacific	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	424-557		Routledge			Abingdon		Stephen A Wurm	Wurm, Stephen A. 2007. Australia and the Pacific. In Christopher Moseley, Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, 1 edn., 424-557. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 070071197X	ll_pub	120		100-999	In 1983, 120 speakers were reported, though in 1981, only fifty were said to exist.	Bislama	The influence of the national language Bislama may be a reason for dwindling speaker number, as may emigration.	Endangered (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	Speaker numbers are dwindling.	13	Torres Islands, Vanuatu	Hiw Island
				World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		120		100-999				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Hiw

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

120

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

120

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

280

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Discussion

Hiw

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

120

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

120

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

280

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Discussion

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