Ambai language
Austronesian language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ambai or Ampari is an Austronesian language spoken by the Ambai people in Indonesian New Guinea (Papua Province), mostly on the Ambai Islands, as well as the southern part of Yapen Island.[2] The number of speakers is estimated to be 10,000. Dialects are Randawaya, Ambai (Wadapi-Laut), and Manawi.[3]
Phonology
Morphology
Pronouns
All pronouns in Ambai mark for number, person and clusivity (in first person).
The following bound pronouns are obligatorily added as affixes to the verb to stand as the subject of the sentence. Every verb in Ambai takes a subject, even if it is a 'dummy' third-person pronoun.
| Singular | Dual | Trial | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | exclusive | i-/dj- | au(r)- | anto(r)- | ame(r)- |
| inclusive | tu(r)- | to(r)- | ta(r)- | ||
| 2nd person | b- | mu(r)- | munto(r)- | me(r)- | |
| 3rd person | d- | u(r)- | co(r)- | e(r)- | |
The following pronouns are independent and are more restricted in use. They do not appear as subjects – since the subject is marked already on the verb – but can appear as objects, in prepositional phrases and in subordinate clauses. Some verbs allow the object pronoun to be omitted.
| Singular | Dual | Trial | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | exclusive | jau | auru | antoru | amea |
| inclusive | turu | totoro | tata | ||
| 2nd person | wau | muru | muntoro | mea | |
| 3rd person | i | uru | coru | ea | |
Examples of pronouns used in everyday language:
b-oti
2SG-see
suru
3DU.OBJ
'Look at them (two).'
uru
3DU
u-minohi
3DU-sit
'They sit.'