| Litzlitz | |
|---|---|
| Naman | |
| Native to | Vanuatu |
| Region | Central Malekula |
Native speakers | 15 (2001)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lzl |
| Glottolog | litz1237 |
| ELP | Litzlitz |
 Litzlitz is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Litzlitz, also known as Naman, is an endangered Oceanic language of central Malakula, Vanuatu. Many of the languages in Malakula can be referred to by different names, Litzlitz being an example of this. Naman was spoken in central Malakua in an area referred to as the "Dog's Neck" by the locals. The territory over which the Naman language was spoken is about 13 kilometers. This language once had many speakers, but now has been classified as a dying language with only fifteen to twenty native speakers. Native Naman speakers who one resided in the small villages of Metenesel in the Lambumbu area of Malakula had moved to what is now known as the Litzlitz village. They had moved because of diseases such as influenza and other epidemics, which contributed to the population decrease in the Naman speakers. Malakula has many languages, however Uripiv has become the dominant language of the Northeast Malakula area.[2]
- ^ Litzlitz at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Crowley, Terry (2006). Naman: a vanishing language of malakula (Vanuatu). Australia: Pacific Linguistics. p. 11. ISBN 0858835657.