A grammar of Vaeakau-Taumako

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Vaeakau-Taumako, or Pileni, is a Polynesian Outlier language spoken in the Reef and Duff Islands of the Solomon Islands' Temotu Province, an area characterized by linguistic diversity and extensive language contact. Historically, Vaeakau-Taumako speakers were shipbuilders and navigators engaged in trade, interacting with speakers of the Reefs-Santa Cruz, Utupua, and Vanikoro languages, which are distantly related. Polynesian speakers arrived in the region 700-1000 years ago from core Polynesian areas to the east. While modern communication often occurs in Solomon Islands Pijin, the traditional context was one of multilingualism, significantly influencing Vaeakau-Taumako's grammar, which exhibits unique structural features not found in other Polynesian languages. This comprehensive grammar is the first full-length study of any language in Temotu Province and the most detailed grammar of a Polynesian Outlier to date. Based on extensive fieldwork, it serves as a reference grammar covering all aspects of language structure, from phonology to discourse organization, and includes a selection of glossed texts. It will appeal to typologists, Oceanic linguists, and those interested in language contact.