Greater Awyu languages

The Awyu (pronounced like English Ow you) and Awyu–Dumut families were identified by Peter Drabbe in the 1950s.

Voorhoeve included them in his proposed Central and South New Guinea group.^[2] As part of Central and South New Guinea, they form part of the original proposal for Trans–New Guinea.^[3]

The classification below is based on Usher^[4] and de Vries et al. (2012),^[5] who used morphological innovations to determine relatedness, which can be obscured by lexical loanwords.

• Sawi (Sawuy)
• Awyu–Dumut (Central Digul River)
  • Awyu languages: Aghu (Jair), Shiaxa (Jenimu, Edera), Pisa (Asuwe)
  • Ndeiram–Ndumut
    • Dumut (Wambon) branch: Mandobo (Kaeti, Dumut), Wambon
    • Ndeiram River: Kombai–Wanggom
• North Digul River
  • Awbono-Bayono
  • Becking–Dawi
    • Dawi River: Komyandaret, Tsaukambo
    • Becking River: Korowai

Sawi is classified on pronominal data, as the morphological data used for the rest of the family is not available.

Pawley and Hammarström (2018) exclude Awbono-Bayono, treating it as a separate family.^[6]

Various other languages can be found in the literature. Airo-Sumaxage (Airo-Sumaghage)^[7] is listed in Wurm, Foley, etc., but not in the University of Amsterdam survey and has been dropped by Ethnologue. Ethnologue lists a 'Central Awyu', but this is not attested as a distinct language (U. Amsterdam). In general, the names in Ethnologue are quite confused, and older editions speak of names from Wurm (1982), such as Mapi, Kia, Upper Digul, Upper Kaeme, which are names of language surveys along the rivers of those names, and may actually refer to Ok languages rather than to Awyu.

van den Heuvel & Fedden (2014) argue that Greater Awyu and Greater Ok are not genetically related, but that their similarities are due to intensive contact.^[8]

Greater Awyu reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma are:^[6]

Wambon language:

• maŋgot ‘teeth, mouth’ < *maŋgat[a]
• (Wambon S.) kodok ‘leg’ < *k(a,o)ndok[V]
• mok ‘seed’ < *maŋgV
• kotay ‘bark, skin’ < *(ŋg,k)a(nd,t)apu
• kondok ‘bone’ < *kwanjaC
• kim- ‘die’ < *kumV-
• kinum- ‘sleep’ < *kin(i,u)-
• ok ‘water, river’ < *okV
• enop ‘fire’ < *kendop
• (ko)sep ‘ashes’ < *(kambu-)sumbu
• (Wambon N.) kumut ‘thunder’ < *kumut or *tumuk
• ururuk ko- ‘to fly’ < *pululu

Mandobo Atas language:

• am ‘breast’ < *amu
• magot ‘mouth’ < *maŋgat[a]
• koman ‘neck’ < *k(o,u)ma(n,ŋ)[V]
• (a)moka ‘cheek’ < *mVkVm ‘cheek, jaw’
• kere(top) ‘ear’ < *kand(e,i)k(V]
• betit ‘fingernail’ < *mb(i,u)t(i,u)C
• kodok ‘foot, leg’ < *k(a,o)ndok[V]
• otae ‘bark, skin’ < *(ŋg,k)a(nd,t)apu
• kiow ‘wind’ < *kumbutu
• komöt ‘thunder’ < *kumut
• üp ‘name’ < *imbi
• kinum- ‘sleep’ < *kin(i,u)-
• (ko)tep ‘ashes’ < *(kambu-)sumbu
• ok ‘water, river’ < *okV
• apap ‘butterfly’ < *apa(pa)ta

Pisa language:

• mugo ‘egg’ < *maŋgV, kiri
• mogo ‘eye’ < *kiti-maŋgV
• kifi ‘wind’ < *kumbutu
• ise ‘mosquito’ < *kasin
• apero ‘butterfly’ < *apa(pa)ta
• kunu (ri-) ‘sleep’ < *kin(i,u)-
• kekuŋ- ‘carry on the shoulder’ < *kak(i,u)-

Syiaxa language:

• fi ‘name’ < *imbi
• apa ‘butterfly’ < *apa([pa]pata
• boro ‘to fly’ < *pululu