Southeast Ambrym Bible portions (TVKWBT)

Overview

The Southeast Ambrym Bible portions, titled Vanuvei Eo, contain the New Testament and selections from the Old Testament in the Vatlongos language (also known as Southeast Ambrym or Taveak), spoken by between 2,500 and 3,700 people primarily on the southeast coast of Ambrym Island in Malampa Province, Vanuatu. [1][2] Published in 2015 by Wycliffe Bible Translators, this translation was developed through a collaborative effort involving local churches and a literacy program created specifically for the Southeast Ambrym community. [3] The name "Vatlongos" was itself chosen during the language development workshops conducted as part of the Bible translation project, replacing the earlier toponym "Southeast Ambrym" used in linguistics literature. [1] Vatlongos is an Oceanic language closely related to Paamese, spoken on nearby Paama Island. [2] The language is also spoken by a relocated community at Mele Maat on Efate Island near Port Vila, established in 1951 after volcanic eruptions forced the evacuation of Maat village on Ambrym. [2] Hymn books and partial Bible translations had been circulated among Southeast Ambrym speakers by Presbyterian groups in the latter half of the twentieth century, but the 2015 Wycliffe publication represented the first substantial Scripture translation in the language. [1] The practical orthography used in the translation drew on the Southeast Ambrym Dictionary (1970), and since 2017 the written language has been taught in some schools, contributing to standardization. [4]

Language and People

Southeast Ambrym (ISO 639-3: tvk) is spoken by approximately 2,000 people in Vanuatu. [Glottolog: sout2859]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Translation type: New.

References