Nafsan

Nafsan (ISO 639-3: erk, Glottocode: sout2856), also known as South Efate, is a Southern Oceanic language of Vanuatu. It spoken in Erakor, Eratap and Pango, three villages situated along the southern coast island Efate (Figure 1) (Clark 1985, Lynch 2000, Thieberger 2006). closely related to Eton, Lelepa, Nakanamanga Namakura, further north on some smaller neighbouring islands.1 often described southernmost member North-Central Vanuatu group languages, Eton-speaking communities are noted be at core ‘an unmistakable area innovation’ compared their northern neighbours 1985: 25). Though crosslinguistic comparisons suggest clear boundary between languages group, there evidence that speakers have both linguistic cultural links islands, suggestive complex historical relationships populations central regions (Lynch 2004; 2007, 2015). In terms sound system, particular interest because it ‘forms transition phonologically more conservative “aberrant” south’ 2000: 320), exhibits phonotactic patterns which typologically uncommon, particularly among (Thieberger