Left May languages

Last updated
Left May
Arai
Geographic
distribution
Left May River, eastern Sandaun Province and western East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification Arai–Samaia or independent language family
  • Left May
Glottolog left1242

The Left May or Arai languages are a small language family of half a dozen closely related but not mutually intelligible languages in the centre of New Guinea, in the watershed of the Left May River. There are only about 2,000 speakers in all. Foley (2018) classifies them separately as an independent language family, [1] while Usher (2020) links them with the Amto–Musan languages. [2]

Contents

The Left May languages are spoken at the extreme western end of East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.

Ama is the best documented Left May language. [1]

Languages

The languages are:

Iteri (Rocky Peak), Nakwi, Ama, Nimo, Owiniga, and (possibly) Bo.

Classification

Foley (2018) provides the following classification. [1]

Left May family

Iteri and Bo are closely related to each other.

Usher (2020) does not recognize a primary western branch, and distinguishes more languages. [3]

Arai River family

External relationships

Malcolm Ross (2005) linked the Left May languages to Laycock's Kwomtari–Baibai languages in a Left May – Kwomtari family, based on similarities in the pronouns of Rocky Peak. However, he had not corrected for Laycock's errors in classification, and it is not clear if the links are with the Kwomtari or Fas languages.

Timothy Usher links the Left May languages to their neighbors, the Amto–Musan languages and the Pyu language in as Arai–Samaia stock. [2] However, Foley (2018) attributes lexical similarities between the Left May and Amto-Musan families to contact, rather than genetic relationship. [1]

Foley (2018) notes that typologically, the Left May languages are highly different from the other language families of the Sepik-Ramu basin, instead resembling the Trans-New Guinea somewhat more closely. For example, Left May and Trans-New Guinea languages typically all have ergative case markers, which most languages of the Sepik-Ramu basin do not have except for a few such as the isolate Taiap. Nevertheless, Left May and Trans-New Guinea speakers have historically been hostile towards each other (unlike their close trade relationships with Amto-Musan speakers), so there has been no recent contact scenarios to speak of. These typological similarities could be due to chance, ancient contact, or perhaps even a deep genetic relationship. [1]

Vocabulary comparison

The following basic vocabulary words are from Conrad & Dye (1975) [4] and various SIL resources, as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database: [5]

gloss Ama Bo Iteri (Rocky Peak dialect) Iteri Nimo Owiniga
headkamu; 'kaːmũkʌmiʔɛmiʔami; ʔa'm̀ikɛmɛ; 'kɛmɛh
hairkamusowa; 'kaːmũsuɒkʌmsiyaʔɛmisuamiʔamiso; ʔami'sò'kamo; kɛmo
eari'ɒː; ʔiaʔoæuɔ; ʔɔiso; is̯o; i'só
eyemʝɒː; mʌřamʌǏoᵽogwamɔ; moh'mǒro; mořo
noseamu; 'aːmũkiʔɩmodʋimuřʔimʌtɛmɛři; tə'mʌ́li
toothkiʔeɩimɛři; i'mʌli
tongueisauna; i'saːunɔ̃lɛsɛlɛtɛisaːbe; isaːpeisɩ; ise
leg'ɸeʌufeřǽ
louseʔani; ʌ'nĩːkaʔɔæamiᶗ; ʔamiyoeni; kemo; tařap̶úmwaino
dogaǏuou; ʌʝɔ'wɔːunařisosoʔʔau; ʔauhbɛlɩ; bɛři
pigᵽu; ʍuːᵽuᵽuhwusuᵽukebaře; kebáře
birdo; oːwowařiwʌ; 'ẃəlibe; mbɛh; ya
eggoː iː; ʔuiwɔiʔabotɩnowoii; sáːviyabene; mɛřɛfi; mɛřɛri; pe'dana
blood'nãːkɒ; nakʌʔkwowowoʔiwʌke; takona
bonemiː; mĩːmutukmotoᵽʋmotomimiři; nom
skinau; 'tɔːnɔ̃tʌpɔdɛbonaeabu; ʔi'nʌ̀fɛřæ; fɛřai; numə'řài; sepe
breastnanʌ; 'nãːnɔ̃nou'náinoh; nano
treeãː; ʔąkaʔaąʔa; ʔaa; ʔaː
mannʌ̃'kɒː; nʌkanʌkʌnonaunɔː; nɔno 'sámonəgaina; 'nɛ́ka; nʌga; nʌgaina
womanmwi; nə̃'nĩː; nʌkʌǏaǏakwauwa; ʔwanią; nià 'sámo'níboh; nini
suno'ʝɒː'húanotabeřa; mbɛ'lah
moonʌ'mũːʔi'ḿʌ'fonai; fořai
wateri'wɒː; ʔiwaʔuʔuuwi; ʔwibi; ʔmi
firetaː; tahtayɛyʋtasa; sah
stonetɛmʌkiʔ; tʌmʌ̃'kiːtʌpʌkitʌbemasɩtə'pái; tʌpeisia; si'yà; sya
road, pathmʝɒː; mʌǏakeři; kʌřiʔæliwiʌřiáři; ařiImaǥamář; meřeb̶i; mɛ'řiƀi
name'siːʌʝɔ
eatnapʌna; tə'nɔ̃ːsanoʔwɛnopano; 'yʌ́no 'sánoepepeki; siyunò; tauna
onesiasʌ; 'siːʌsɔsɔsɔsʋsosusæsæsiʌesʌ; 'síyasəya'liƀuh; yəvyaro; yʌřu
twotiwe; 'tiːweitisʌtisolisæʔtiː; tiĩsi'máƀi; simʌbi; siməbi

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN   978-3-11-028642-7.
  2. 1 2 NewGuineaWorld, Arai and Samaia Rivers
  3. NGW, Arai River
  4. Conrad, R. and Dye, W. "Some Language Relationships in the Upper Sepik Region of Papua New Guinea". In Conrad, R., Dye, W., Thomson, N. and Bruce Jr., L. editors, Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 18. A-40:1-36. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1975. doi : 10.15144/PL-A40.1
  5. Greenhill, Simon (2016). "TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea" . Retrieved 2020-11-05.