As of 2012, it is only spoken by four speakers;[1] it has been replaced by the island’s dominant language, Teanu.

The language name makes reference to an ancient village in the northwest of the island Banie.

[3] In the language Lovono, which was once the dominant one in that area, the village was called Alavana.

In Teanu, which is now the only language spoken by the modern population, the same village is called Lovono.

The same village – and hence the language – has been also spelled Whanou or Vano in the scientific literature, possibly reflecting an older pronunciation of the word.