North Tanna New Testament (TNNTNT)

Overview

The North Tanna New Testament, titled Naoa rəha uhgɨn nəniəkɨsən wi, is a translation of the New Testament into the North Tanna language, spoken by approximately 5,000 people on the northern coast of Tanna Island in TAFEA Province, Vanuatu. [1] The translation was led by SIL translation advisor Greg Carlson, who began field work on Tanna in 1991 and worked with a team of ni-Vanuatu translators over many years. [2] The North Tanna New Testament was first published in print and audio in 2008, with the copyright edition released through Wycliffe Bible Translators in 2010. [2][3] North Tanna is closely related to the neighboring Whitesands and Lenakel languages, with nearly identical grammars and high lexical overlap, though the languages are not strictly mutually intelligible. [1] The completed North Tanna translation subsequently served as a source text for the Whitesands New Testament adaptation, demonstrating the practical benefits of working across closely related Tanna languages. [4] Early computational experiments with the North Tanna translation included using Dr. Stephen Beale's prototype TBTA program to generate initial draft translations of Ruth and Genesis 39. [5]

Language and People

North Tanna (ISO 639-3: tnn) is spoken by approximately 5,000 people in Vanuatu. [Glottolog: nort2847]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

References