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Zabana is an Oceanic language spoken almost exclusively in the Kia district on the northern part of Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands. Zabana is considered a developing language (Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale – EGIDS – level 5) which means that the language is in vigorous use, with literature in a standardized form being used by some, though this is not yet widespread or sustainable.[1] It is one of the most spoken languages on Santa Isabel Island, competing with Cheke Holo. There is a 30% to 60% literacy rate in Zabana as a first language and a 25% to 50% literacy rate in Zabana as a second language.[1]
| Zabana | |
|---|---|
| Kia | |
 The extent of the Zabana language on the West Isabel Islands | |
| Native to | Central Solomon Islands |
| Region | Santa Isabel Island |
Native speakers | 3,400 (2003)[2] |
Austronesian
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Solomon Islands |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kji |
| Glottolog | zaba1237 |
 Zabana is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
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Zabana is almost exclusively spoken on Santa Isabel Island, which is the largest island in the Isabel provenience and the third largest island in the Solomon Island chain. Zabana is one of the eight different languages spoken on Santa Isabel Island. Out of the other seven different languages spoken on the island, Zabana shares major similarities with Kokota and Cheke Holo (also known as Maringe.) A combination dialect of Zabana and Cheke Holo is also developed and widely spoken within the area.[3]
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Zabana only contains open syllables, since there are no consonant clusters and geminate vowels in the language. Vocal stress on a single phoneme does not exist in Zabana; instead, certain syllables called penultimate syllables (the final syllable of a word that ends in a vowel) are stressed. When compared to the neighboring languages, Zabana has fewer phonemes than its neighbors, in particular Kokota.[3]
| Initial | Medial |
|---|---|
| k 17% | l 13% |
| p 12% | r 13% |
| t 10% | k 11% |
| s 10% | t 9% |
| m 8% | n 7% |
| b 7% | p 6% |
| l 6% | s 6% |
| r 5% | h 6% |
| n 4% | m 5% |
| h 4% | b 4% |
| d 3% | g 4% |
| v 3% | gh 4% |
| f 3% | d 3% |
| g 2% | v 3% |
| gh 2% | ng 3% |
| ng 2% | f 2% |
| z 1% | z 1% |
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| English | Zabana |
|---|---|
| To see | fifini |
| To drink | ketuhu |
| To sleep | epu |
| To fall | riufu/zɔɣu |
| To eat | mahai |
| To stand | tetu |
| To sew | tena |
| To vomit | mumuti |
| To flow | ɔrɔ/kɔtɔrɔ |
| To dig | hara |
There are two types of verbs in Zabana, transitive and intransitive verbs.[3]
- Transitive verb: can be attached with a suffix which indexes the direct or indirect object.[3]
- Intransitive verb: verbs which convey motion of some sort.[3]
| English | Zabana |
|---|---|
| Mother | uke |
| Father | mama |
| House | suga |
| Tooth | hiŋa- |
| Blood | busaka- |
| Eye | hiba- |
| Egg | tediri |
| Dog | meusu |
| Rat | pururudu |
| Fruit | fua- |
| Fish | namari |
In Zabana, possession is denoted syntactically by a possessive suffix attached to the noun such as no or ka. Words such as 'father', 'mother', and 'uncle' can never take on a possessive suffix.[3]
| English | Zabana |
|---|---|
| Rotten | bɔe |
| Cold | kapɔ |
| Warm | daŋava |
| Red | busaka |
| Yellow | hekɔ |
| Green | dɔdɔli |
| Black | sisibe |
| Good | veha|na |
| Bad/evil | mukɔ |
| Heavy | tahu |
| Wet | bɔese |
| Dry | ka|raŋɔ |
| English | Zabana |
|---|---|
| One | kaike-ɣu |
| Two | palu-ɣu |
| Three | litɔ-ɣu |
| Four | rɔdana-ɣu |
| Five | gahaɣu |
| Six | ɔnɔmɔɣu |
| Seven | vituɣu |
| Eight | hanaɣu |
| Nine | leɣahaɣu |
| Ten | tazo |
| One hundred | kaike ɣɔbi |
| One thousand | kaike tɔɤa |
Larger numbers are made by compounding cardinal numbers, such as one through ten, and the exponential factors of ten, such as one hundred and one thousand.[3]
| Base | Reduplicate |
|---|---|
| nohe 'sit' | nonohe 'seat form' |
| goto 'to boil' | gotogoto 'to sweat' |
| baolo 'to name' | babaolo 'name' |
Reduplication is used in Zabana to derive intransitive verbs from transitive terms and to derive nouns from verbs.[3]
| English | Zabana |
|---|---|
| Who | hei |
| What/why | heve |
| Where/which | hae |
| When/how much/how many | niha |
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Zabana is a mainly a verb–subject–object (VSO) language.
Declarative
Declarative sentences are denoted by a drop in intonation at the end of the sentence and the basic sentence structure or word ordering of a declarative sentence is shown below.[3]
ex:
Ghe
predicate
manevaka
subject
ianimu
direct object
neke
oblique object
'but whiteman there stay'
Interrogative
There are four basic types of question sentences in Zabana: polar questions (yes/no), content questions, alternative questions, and dubitative questions (rhetorical).[3]
Honorific language
There is a chiefly language form of Zabana which is used when addressing clan chiefs.
| English | Common form | Chiefly form |
|---|---|---|
| Child | rekaha | suli gitau |
| Eye | hiba | nahali |
| Sleep | epu | megho |
| Fall | riufu | neukete |
Complex sentences
Complex sentences in Zabana are formed when a conjoined clause is used in a sentence, by using one of the three different connectors: nia, ga, and ba, which are 'and', 'or', and 'but' respectively. The exception to this rule is the connecting particle ghe, which is used to denote a conditional sentence or question, and nia must be used to connect the pronoun and the proper noun together. Ghe can also be used in a complex sentence to link together two different proper nouns.[3]
Conditional sentences
In Zabana there are two different types of conditional sentences: simple and counterfactual sentences. Both sentences use the particle la to denote that they are conditional sentences.[3]
- Simple conditional: denoted by the use of the particle to along with the particle la, simple conditional sentences state a hypothetical situation in Zabana.[3]
Example: To nanarela ghatu e kotoro hofi ini
- 'If it rains today, the roof will leak.'
- Counterfactual: states a situation where the condition is no fulfilled.[3]
Example: Geke meha la ia vaka norao gela to lao ara kia
- 'If the boat had come yesterday, I would have gone to Kia.'
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