Maimai languages

Last updated
Maimai
Geographic
distribution
eastern Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification Torricelli
  • Maimai
Glottolog nucl1590
Torricelli languages map.svg
The Torricelli languages as classified by Foley (2018)

The Maimai languages constitute a branch of the Torricelli language family. They are spoken just to the west of Nuku town in eastern Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea (including in Maimai Wanwan Rural LLG).

Contents

Languages

Maimai

Pronouns

Pronouns in Maimai languages are: [1]

Maimai pronouns
Beli Siliput Yahang Heyo
1skioiaiai
2ssiyiisis
3sofotənapanapan
1pəfəyepepepapap
2pyipipipipip
3pafatəmoŋapam

Vocabulary comparison

The following basic vocabulary words are from Laycock (1968), [2] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database: [3]

gloss Minidien Heyo Siliput Yahang Beli
headetwunutüweparoŋwuntəf
earnikiwrakuntaŋənraŋkunŋətə
eyenapənapelkəoinampəlsatoʔ
nosemohauluwekaluwetruwotsuwopən
toothpanikyeparkitapanəmpaniŋkniŋo
tongueləheelktifeyansɨelaŋkitiflife
legetiyəitikyatiŋyoupeppapaŋ
louselumumhipəpyaflin
dogpanəmpatpatmpatpato
birdpelhinwalfisahilítfelfiswalfun
eggwaltiyelaʔwoyilhəflawolawiyen
bloodamkeʔwiyefawujiwiyefkuijwẽ
bonelokiyefalokɨyefaloknwẽ
skinkirkeʔhalipapurkohalipnoʔoŋ
breastmapimakamayrmaymapi
treelowɨlowəlouloulowo
manməsənmohonmatanmukunmasən
womannuka- pyenenuweteʔyukətetnuwotsakwoto
sunamwofalaolokfalawatli
moonauniyeonifəʔaunekwonifwaluko
watersupɨhipeləsifyerhimpelite
fireyakelyafayayaʔafsafi
stonealpɨl; kitampapalekawotəwətə́fkalkopo
twoyatowiyeoloʔwwuríkrŋkolouwosoŋ

Related Research Articles

Torricelli languages

The Torricelli languages are a family of about fifty languages of the northern Papua New Guinea coast, spoken by about 80,000 people. They are named after the Torricelli Mountains. The most populous and best known Torricelli language is Arapesh, with about 30,000 speakers.

Sepik languages Papuan language family

The Sepik or Sepik River languages are a family of some 50 Papuan languages spoken in the Sepik river basin of northern Papua New Guinea, proposed by Donald Laycock in 1965 in a somewhat more limited form than presented here. They tend to have simple phonologies, with few consonants or vowels and usually no tones.

The Yalë language, also known as Nagatman, is spoken in northwestern Papua New Guinea. It may be related to the Kwomtari languages, but Palmer (2018) classifies it as a language isolate.

William A. Foley is an American linguist and professor at the University of Sydney. He specialises in Papuan and Austronesian languages.

Amal is a language spoken along the border of Sandaun Province and East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea, along the Wagana River near the confluence with Wanibe Creek. Foley (2018) classifies Amal as a primary branch of the Sepik languages, though it is quite close to Kalou.

Palei languages

The Palei languages constitute a branch of the Torricelli language family according to Laycock (1975). They are spoken in mountainous regions of eastern Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea.

Wapei languages

The Wapei languages constitute a branch of the Torricelli language family according to Laycock (1975). Glottolog does not accept this grouping. They are spoken in mountainous regions of eastern Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea.

Tama languages

The Tama languages are a small family of three clusters of closely related languages of northern Papua New Guinea, spoken just to the south of Nuku town in eastern Sandaun Province. They are classified as subgroup of the Sepik languages. Tama is the word for 'man' in the languages that make up this group.

The Nukuma languages are a small family of three clearly related languages:

The Chambri language is spoken by the Chambri people of the Chambri Lakes region in the Sepik basin of northern Papua New Guinea. Spellings in the older anthropological literature include Tchambuli, Tshamberi. Being completely surrounded by the Sepik languages, it is geographically separated from the rest of the Ramu–Lower Sepik language family, of which Chambri is a member of.

Yetfa and Biksi are dialects of a language spoken in Jetfa District, Papua, Indonesia, and across the border in Papua New Guinea. It is a trade language spoken in West Papua up to the PNG border.

Yahang (Ya’unk) a.k.a. Ruruhip (Ruruhi’ip) is a Torricelli language of Papua New Guinea. It shares the name Ruruhip with Heyo, which is closely related.

The Leonhard Schultze or Walio–Papi languages are a proposed family of about 6 Papuan languages spoken in the Sepik river basin of northern Papua New Guinea. They are spoken along the border region of East Sepik Province and Sandaun Province, just to the south of the Iwam languages.

Marienberg languages

The Marienberg or Marienberg Hills languages are a branch of the Torricelli language family. They are spoken in a mountainous stretch of region located between the towns of Wewak and Angoram in the Marienberg Hills of East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.

The Kombio-Arapeshan languages constitute a branch of the Torricelli language family according to Laycock (1975), but this is doubted by Foley (2018).

Wapei–Palei languages Branch of the Torricelli language family

The Wapei–Palei languages are spoken in mountainous regions of eastern Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea. The Wapei languages and Palei languages together constitute a branch of the Torricelli language family according to Laycock (1975).

The Wogamus languages are a pair of closely related languages,

One languages

The One or West Wapei languages constitute a branch of the Torricelli language family. They are spoken in north-central Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea.

Urim languages Branch of the Torricelli language family

The Urim languages constitute a branch of the Torricelli language family. They are spoken in East Sepik Province, in areas bordering the northeastern corner of Sandaun Province.

The West Pauwasi languages are a likely family of Papuan languages spoken on the Indonesian side of New Guinea. They may either form part of a larger Pauwasi language family along with the Eastern Pauwasi languages, or it they could form an independent language family.

References

  1. 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. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN   978-3-11-028642-7.
  2. Laycock, Donald C. 1968. Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics , 7 (1): 36-66.
  3. Greenhill, Simon (2016). "TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea" . Retrieved 2020-11-05.