Alexandre François (linguist)
Encyclopedia
Alexandre François is a French linguist specialised in the description
and study of the indigenous languages of Melanesia
. He belongs to LACITO
, a research centre of the CNRS dedicated to linguistics and anthropology.
He has done linguistic fieldwork essentially in the northern islands of Vanuatu
, known as the Torres
and Banks Islands
, an area where seventeen languages are still spoken. He has published descriptive accounts of Mwotlap
(2001, 2003), the language with most speakers in that area.
In 2002 he published a monograph description of Araki
, a highly endangered language spoken on an islet south of Espiritu Santo
(Vanuatu
).
In 2005, he took part in a scientific expedition to Vanikoro
(Solomon islands
), whose objective was to understand the wreckage of the French navigator La Pérouse
in 1788. As a member of a multidisciplinary team, he recorded the oral tradition of the Melanesian and Polynesian populations of this island, concerning popular representations of this historical event. On that occasion, he also documented the three languages
spoken on Vanikoro.
Descriptive linguistics
In the study of language, description, or descriptive linguistics, is the work of objectively analyzing and describing how language is spoken by a group of people in a speech community...
and study of the indigenous languages of Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
. He belongs to LACITO
LACITO
LACITO is a primarily Francophone multidisciplinary research organisation, created in 1976...
, a research centre of the CNRS dedicated to linguistics and anthropology.
He has done linguistic fieldwork essentially in the northern islands of Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
, known as the Torres
Torres Islands
The Torres Islands are in the Torba Province of Vanuatu, the northernmost island group in the country. The chain of islands that make up this micro-archipelago straddle the broader cultural boundary that distinguishes Island Melanesia from several Polynesian outliers located in the neighbouring...
and Banks Islands
Banks Islands
The Banks Islands are a group of islands in northern Vanuatu.Together with the Torres Islands to the northwest, they make up the northernmost province of Torba. The group lies about north of Maewo, and includes Gaua and Vanua Lava, two of the 13 largest islands in Vanuatu...
, an area where seventeen languages are still spoken. He has published descriptive accounts of Mwotlap
Mwotlap
-External links: *...
(2001, 2003), the language with most speakers in that area.
In 2002 he published a monograph description of Araki
Araki language
Araki is a nearly extinct language spoken in the small island of Araki , south of Espiritu Santo Island in Vanuatu. Araki is gradually being replaced by Tangoa, a language from a neighbouring island.-The language:...
, a highly endangered language spoken on an islet south of Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
(Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
).
In 2005, he took part in a scientific expedition to Vanikoro
Vanikoro
Vanikoro is an island from the Santa Cruz group, located 118 km to the Southeast of the main Santa Cruz group. It belongs administratively to the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands....
(Solomon islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
), whose objective was to understand the wreckage of the French navigator La Pérouse
Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse
Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
in 1788. As a member of a multidisciplinary team, he recorded the oral tradition of the Melanesian and Polynesian populations of this island, concerning popular representations of this historical event. On that occasion, he also documented the three languages
Vanikoro languages
The three Vanikoro languages form a branch of the Temotu languages. They are spoken on the island of Vanikoro, southeast of the Solomon Islands....
spoken on Vanikoro.