Mufian language
Arapesh language of Papua New Guinea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mufian (Muhian, Muhiang), or Southern Arapesh, is an Arapesh language (Torricelli) of Papua New Guinea. Dialects are Supari, Balif, Filifita (Ilahita), Iwam-Nagalemb, Nagipaem; Filifita speakers are half the population, at 6,000 in 1999.[1] It is spoken in 36 villages, most of which are located within Bumbita-Muhian Rural LLG, East Sepik Province. It is also spoken in Supari ward of Albiges-Mablep Rural LLG.[2][3]
| Mufian | |
|---|---|
| Southern Arapesh | |
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Bumbita-Muhian Rural LLG, East Sepik Province (36 villages) |
Native speakers | (11,000 cited 1998)[1] |
Torricelli
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aoj |
| Glottolog | mufi1238 |
| ELP | Mufian |
Phonology
/ʔʷ/ is a coarticulated glottal stop with lip rounding that occurs only in final word positions.[5]: 311
Pronouns
Southern Arapesh pronouns are:[5]
sg pl 1incl apə 1excl aeʔ afə 2 inəʔ ipə 3m ənən əmom 3f əkoʔʷ aowou
Noun classes
There are 17 classes for count nouns in Mufian, plus two extra classes, i.e. proper names and place names. Noun classes are expressed in noun suffixes, adjective suffixes, and verb prefixes.
Although Southern Arapesh has more than a dozen noun classes, only four noun classes are determined by semantics, while the other noun classes are determined phonologically using the final root segment (a feature typical of the Lower Sepik languages). The four semantically determined noun classes are:[5]
- class 16: male human referents
- class 8: female human referents
- class 5: human referents of unspecified sex (likely diminutive, since children are also included)
- class 6: human referents of unspecified sex
The membership of the other twelve classes is determined phonologically, by the final segment of the root, as in the Lower Sepik languages.[5]
Some examples of Mufian noun classes from Alungum (1978):[6]
| Class | Form (sg.) | Form (pl.) | Gloss | Sg. Noun Suffix | Sg. Adjective Suffix | Sg. Verb Prefix | Pl. Noun Suffix | Pl. Adjective Suffix | Pl. Verb Prefix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | bol | bongof | pig | -l | -li | l- | -ngof | -ngufi | f- |
| Class 2 | éngel | angof | name | -ngél | -ngili | g- | -ngof | -ngufi | f- |
| Class 3 | nalof | nalelef | tooth | -f | -fi | f- | -lef | -lefi | f- |
| Class 4 | lowaf | lu'ongof | clothes | -f | -fi | f- | -nguf | -fi | f- |
| Class 5 | batéwin | batéwis | child | -n | -ni | n- | -s | -si | s- |
| Class 6 | alupini | alupisi | friend | -ni | -ni | n- | -si | -si | s- |
| Class 7 | nombat | nombangw | dog | -t, -ta | -tei | t- | -ngw | -ngwi | gw- |
| Class 8 | nemata'w | nematawa | woman | -'w | -kwi | kw- | -wa | -wei | w- |
| Class 9 | nam | naep | eye | -m | -mi | m- | -p | -pi | p- |
| Class 10 | lawang | lawah | tree | -g, -ga | -gwei | g- | -h | -ngéhi | h- |
| Class 11 | bemb | bembeh | betel nut | -b | -mbi | b- | -h | -mbihi | h- |
| Class 12 | nongwatop | nongwatoh | knife | -p | -pi | p- | -h | -hi | h- |
| Class 13 | wambel | walemb | village | -mbel | -mbili | b- | -lemb | -lembi | b- |
| Class 14 | mai'una | ma'unamb | pigeon | -a | -ni | n- | -amb | -mbi | b- |
| Class 15 | usin | usimb | crested pigeon | -n | -ni | n- | -b | -mbi | b- |
| Class 16 | aman | amam | man | -n | -nei | n- | -m | -mi | m- |
| Class 17 | kos | kos | course | -s | -si | s- | -s | -si | s- |
There are a few irregularities in these noun classes.[6]
External links
- Paradisec has a collection of materials with Don Laycock (DL1) that includes Mufian materials