Tehit language

Tehit
Kaibus
Native to	Indonesia
Region	Papua
Ethnicity	Tehit
Native speakers	(10,000 cited 2000) [1] 500 monolinguals (2000) [1]
Language family	West Papuan? Bird's Head West Bird's Head Tehit
Language codes
ISO 639-3	kps
Glottolog	tehi1237
Tehit Show map of Western New Guinea Tehit Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 1°31′S131°59′E / 1.51°S 131.99°E / -1.51; 131.99

Tehit is a Papuan language of the Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea. Other spellings are Tahit, Tehid, and other names Kaibus, Teminabuan. The dialects are Fkar, Imyan, Mbol Fle, Saifi, Sawiat Salmeit, Sfa Riere, and Tehit Jit.

Subdivisions

Subgroups

Major Tehit ethnic subgroups: ^[2]

• Tehit Afsya
• Tehit Mlafle
• Tehit Mlakya
• Tehit Konda
• Tehit Nakna
• Tehit Imian
• Tehit Nasfa
• Tehit Ogit (Yaben)
• Tehit Nerigo
• Tehit Srer
• Tehit Imian Slaya
• Tehit Imian Salmit Klawsa
• Tehit Salmit Klawsa
• Tehit Sawiat
• Tehit Mla Flassi
• Tehit Mla Srit
• Tehit Wakya
• Tehit Gemna
• Tehit Sfa

Locations of some Tehit subgroups: ^[2]

• Tehit Mlafle and Tehit Mlakya, in Teminabuan District: Kaibus, Werisar, Keyen, Boldon, Seribau, Srer, and Sria villages.
• Tehit Konda, in Konda District: Konda, Mnaelek, and Mbariat villages.
• Tehit Nakya, in Saifi District: Malaswat, Manggroholo, Sira, Kwowok, Komanggaret, Sayal, Kayabo, Botaen, Sisir, and Knaya villages.
• Tehit Imian, in Seremuk District: Gamaro, Tofot, Haha, Woloin, and Kakas villages.
• Tehit Nasfa, in Sawiyat District: Wenslolo, Wensnahan, Wensi villages.

Clans

Tehit clans: ^[2]

• Anggiluli
• Ajamsaru
• Aru
• Anny
• Antoh
• Asmuruf
• Adiolo
• Aflili
• Anny Snahan
• Athabu
• Bauk
• Blesmargi
• Bolhok
• Bosawer
• Blesia
• Bleskadit
• Boltal
• Bless
• Bri
• Dimofle
• Duwit
• Esfat
• Fna
• Flassy
• Flasisao
• Firisa
• Fafottolo
• Fle
• Flesa
• Gemnase
• Gimnafle
• Ginuni
• Gomor
• Homer
• Howay
• Jarfi
• Kasminya
• Kalithin
• Kabelwa
• Kehek
• Kaisala
• Kareth
• Kamesrar
• Kaliele
• Kedemes
• Kwani
• Kelelago
• Kalilago
• Konjol
• Kondologit
• Kondororik
• Krenak
• Kemesfle
• Klesei
• Krimadi
• Kladit
• Kolin
• Kombado
• Klafle
• Karsao Kadit
• Karsauw
• Kami
• Kambu
• Kalkomik
• Kolenggea Flesa
• Kolinggea Totyi
• Kolingge Amak
• Kolin
• Komendi
• Keya
• Kamesok
• Klofat
• Kowani
• Lemauk
• Lohok
• Lokden
• Majefat
• Maga
• Majesfa
• Majebrofat
• Mbol Foyo
• Mere
• Meles
• Melesogo
• Mlik
• Momot
• Mondar
• Mrokendi
• Mtrar Mian Neman
• Ngomor
• Naa
• Onim
• Oniminya
• Ogon
• Refe
• Ririk
• Roni
• Sabri
• Sabrigis
• Salosa
• Sawen
• Sakamak
• Sa Marfat
• Sadalmat
• Saswen
• Saru
• Safkaur
• Salamuk
• Sagaret
• Sables
• Sadrafle
• Sdun
• Srefle
• Serefat
• Sreklefat
• Sremere
• Saranik
• Seramik
• Sesa
• Smori
• Snahan
• Sarefe
• Snanfi
• Sadiwan
• Sagisolo
• Sregia
• Srekadifat
• Sakardifat
• Salambauw
• Slambau Karfat
• Srer
• Simat
• Segeitmena
• Seryo
• Satfle
• Safle
• Singgir
• Smur
• Saman
• Susim
• Sagrim
• Sreifi
• Srekya
• Srekdifat
• Saflafo
• Siger
• Saflesa
• Sre Klefat
• Syasefa
• Seketeles
• Saflembolo
• Selaya
• Saledrar
• Snanbion
• Sigi
• Sekalas
• Saflessa
• Sefle
• Thesia
• Tidiel
• T’ryo
• Trogea
• Tigori
• Tritrigoin Wato
• Wasfle
• Wamban
• Way
• Watak
• Wafatolo
• Wamblessa
• Wodiok
• Woloin
• Wagarefe
• Widik
• Woloble
• Wororik
• Yatam
• Yajan
• Yajar
• Yable
• Yafle
• Yadafat
• Yadanfi
• Yarollo
• Yelmolo

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Plosive	plain	p b	t d		ɡ	q
	prenasal	ᵐp ᵐb	ⁿt ⁿd		ᵑɡ	ᶰq
Fricative		ɸ	s				h
Nasal		m	n
Tap			ɾ
Approximant		(w)	l	(j)

• Glide sounds [w, j] mainly occur as a result of vowels /o, i/ in different syllable positions. ^[3]
• /q/ can be heard as a fricative [ʁ] when in intervocalic positions, and as a velar [k] when in coda position within the onset of /i/.
• /d/ can also be heard as an affricate [dʒ] when preceding /i/ in word segments.
• Sounds /t, q/ are mainly unreleased [t̚, q̚] in when in word-final positions.
• Fricatives /ɸ, s/ can optionally be voiced as [β, z] when within the environment of /i/, among speech. ^[4]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	i
Mid	e	(ə)	o
Low		a

• A schwa [ə] vowel sound is said to occur only in pretonic positions, which means in syllables preceding the stressed syllable. It is always heard as unstressed, and always in between consonant sounds. ^{[5] [3]}
• /i/ can be heard as [ɪ] when preceding a word-final /ɾ/, and as [ɨ] when preceding vowel sounds /a, o/ within the onset of a labial consonant.
• /e/ can be heard as [ɛ] when in closed syllables.
• /o/ may also have an allophone of [u] when in closed syllables within a labial consonantal onset with a back coda consonant.

Morphology

Tehit has four grammatical genders, which are masculine, feminine, plural, and neuter. Examples: ^[6]

gender	suffix	examples
masculine	-w	ndla-w ‘husband’, sna-w ‘moon’, qliik-w ‘snake’
feminine	-m	-ene-m ‘mother’, tali-m ‘sun’, mbol-m ‘house’
plural	-y	sinas-y ‘small mosquito’, sinaq-y ‘gravel’, siray ‘salt’
neuter	zero	n/a

Gender prefixes in Tehit can not only be used to denote gender, but also size, wholeness, and the stability of appearances. Masculine gender is associated with small size, parts of wholes, and changing appearances, while feminine gender is associated with large size, wholeness, and stable appearances. Examples (from Flassy 1991: 10–12):

	feminine	masculine
wet ‘child’	wet-m child-3F wet-m child-3F ‘girl’	wet-w child-3M wet-w child-3M ‘boy’
e’ren ‘fish’	e’ren-m fish-3F e’ren-m fish-3F ‘big fish’	e’ren-w fish-3M e’ren-w fish-3M ‘small fish’
mbol ‘house’	mbol-y house-3PL mbol-y house-3PL ‘houses’	mbol-w house-3M mbol-w house-3M ‘small house’ / ‘houses’
sika ‘cat’	sika-w cat-3M sika-w cat-3M ‘male cat’ / ‘cats’

References

1. Tehit at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
2. Ronsumbre, Adolof (2020). Ensiklopedia Suku Bangsa di Provinsi Papua Barat. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kepel Press. ISBN   978-602-356-318-0.
3. Hesse, Ronald (2000). Tehit. In Ger P. Reesink (ed.), Studies in Irian Languages: Part II: Jakarta, Indonesia: Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya. pp. 25–33.
4. Hesse, Ronald (1993). Imyan Tehit Phonology. Grand Forks: Univ. of North Dakota.
5. Hesse, Ronald (1995). Syllable structure in Imyan Tehit. Language and Linguistics in Melanesia 26. pp. 101–171.
6. Holton, Gary; Klamer, Marian (2018). "The Papuan languages of East Nusantara and the Bird's Head". 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. 569–640. ISBN   978-3-11-028642-7.

Further reading

• Flassy, Don A. L.; Stokhof, W. A. L. (1979). "A Note on Tehit (Bird's Head – Irian Jaya)" (PDF). In Amran Halim (ed.). Miscellaneous Studies in Indonesian and Languages in Indonesia, Part VI. NUSA 7. Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya. pp. 35–83.
• Flassy, Don A. L. (1991). Grammar Sketch of Tehit: A Toror language, the West Doberai Peninsula, New Guinea (Irian Jaya) (MA thesis). Leiden University.
• Hesse, Ronald (1993). Imyan Tehit Phonology (MA thesis). University of North Dakota.
• Hesse, Ronald (2000). "Tehit" (PDF). In Reesink, Ger P. (ed.). Studies in Irian Languages, Part II. NUSA 47. Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya. pp. 25–33.