Asmat–Kamrau languages
Family of languages
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Asmat – Kamrau Bay languages are a family of a dozen Trans–New Guinea languages spoken by the Asmat and related peoples in southern Western New Guinea. They are believed to be a recent expansion along the south coast, as they are all closely related, and there is little differentiation in their pronouns.
distributionsouthern coast and Kamrau Bay of Indonesian New Guinea
| Asmat–Kamrau | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | southern coast and Kamrau Bay of Indonesian New Guinea |
| Ethnicity | Asmat people etc. |
| Linguistic classification | Trans–New Guinea
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | asma1256 |
Map: The Asmat–Kamrau languages of New Guinea
The Asmat–Kamrau languages
Other Trans–New Guinea languages
Other Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Uninhabited | |
Languages
- Kamrau Bay (Sabakor):[3]
- Buruwai (Sabakor)
- Kamrau
- North Kamberau (Iria)
- South Kamberau (Asienara)
- Asmat–Kamoro[4]
Proto-language
Phonemes
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:[5]
m n p [t] k b [d] ɟ ɡ [ɸ] s w r j
There is near complementary distribution between *p and *ɸ. *t and *d are marginal, appearing in only a few words. *r does not occur initially. There are no consonant clusters.
Vowels are *a *e *i *o *u.
Pronouns
Ross (2005) reconstructs the proto-Asmat–Kamoro pronouns as:
sg pl 1 *no[ro] *na[re] 2 *o[ro]/we[rV] *ca[re] 3 *a[re]
Usher (2020) reconstructs the free proto–Asmat–Kamrau Bay pronouns as:[5]
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Basic vocabulary
Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:[5]
gloss Proto-Asmat-Kamrau Proto-Kamrau Bay Proto-Asmat-Kamoro Proto-Asmat Proto-Muli Strait head *uɸu *jebin *ufu *kowisi 'head/skull' *ɣo̝p 'head/hair'; *uɔndVro̝m 'head/skull' hair *ɸini *ɸin *fini *ɸinV 'hair/feather(s)' *sin ear *jiɸ[a/o]ne *jaɸ[a/o]m *jafane *jaɸane *ie̝pær eye *manaN *manam *mana *mana *musiɣ nose *miC *mik *mi *mi *mæne̝ɣ 'nose/tip' tooth *siC *sik *sisi *sisV *ziɣ tongue *komane *[a]mam *komane *komVne *ndupæn foot/leg *mawu *mawu *mawu *mawi *kaŋg 'leg' blood/red *ese *et *ese *ir 'blood' fruit/seed/bone *eake *eke *eake skin/bark *ɸu *pitini *pitʲini *par breast *awo *awo *awo *abuɣ louse *amo *om *amo *am dog *juwuɾi *iwuɾ *juwuri *juwVɾi *i[u]bui pig *oɸo *ok *ofo *up bird *geɟ *sakV egg *[a]sa *asa *sa *sa tree/wood *ose *o *ose *to̝ 'tree' man/male *bewu *nam 'man/person' woman *ɟawoɟa *jawoɟa *cawoca *jipitʲi *ie̝t 'woman/wife' sun *jawu *asi 'sun/day' *jawu *jawi *zaua moon *buɾa *buɾa *pura *piɾa *irind water *m[oi/ui] *moɟ *mui *mui *mo̝i fire/firewood *usa *usa *usa *jusa *ua[nd/r] 'fire' stone *jeta *eta *j[e]ka *mæte̝ path *matoC; *mak *mato name *uwase *u *uwase *juwase *ur eat/drink *n[a]- *n[a]- *n[e/a] *ne- *no̝ku one *ɟawa[kV] *-ɟawa *cawak[e/a] *tʲawaka two *kaboma *aboma *kapoma; *jam[i/u]nV
Evolution
Proto-Asmat-Kamoro reflexes (Voorhoeve 2005)[6] of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma, as listed in Pawley & Hammarström (2018):[7]
- *fiti 'fingernail' < pTNG *mb(i,u)t(i,u)C
- *isi 'mosquito' < *kasin
- *ese 'blood' < *kenja
- *masap or *masip 'saliva' < *si(mb,p)atV
- *yi 'urine' < *[si]si
- *asa 'excrement' < *asa
- *manaka 'eye' < *mun(a,e,i)ka
- *sisi 'tooth' < *(t,s)i(t,s)i
- *yirama 'night' < *k(i,u)tama
- *tama 'morning' < *k(i,u)tama
- *na- 'eat' < *na-