| Yapen | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Yapen Island, Western New Guinea, Indonesia |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian |
| Proto-language | Proto-Yapen |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | yape1249 |
 | |
The Yapen languages are the branch of Malayo-Polynesian languages spoken on Yapen Island and the nearby isle of Cenderawasih Bay, both in Papua province of northeastern Indonesia.
They share Yapen Ιsland with the Papuan Yawa languages.
Reconstructions of subject markers and inalienable possessive markers for Yapen proto-languages according to Kamholz (2015). Note that V = vocalic conjugation, C = consonantal conjugation:
Proto-Yapen:
| 1sg. | *y- (V), *ya- (C) | 1pl. | *t- (incl.), *am- (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *bu- (V), *-u- (C) | 2pl. | *m- |
| 3sg. | *dy- (V), *-i- (C) | 3pl. | *si- |
| 1sg. | *-ku, *-ni | 1pl. | *ta-...-mi (incl.), *ama-...-mi (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *-mu | 2pl. | *mi-...-mi |
| 3sg. | *-n-pai | 3pl. | *si-...-mi |
Proto-Western Yapen (Proto-Central–Western Yapen):
| 1sg. | *y- (V), *ya- (C) | 1pl. | *tat- (incl.), *amat- (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *bu- (V), *-u- (C) | 2pl. | *met- |
| 3sg. | *dy- (V), *-i- (C) | 3pl. | *set- |
| 1sg. | *-ku, *-ni | 1pl. | *ta-...-mi (incl.), *ama-...-mi (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *-mu | 2pl. | *me-...-mi |
| 3sg. | *-n-pai, *-na-ni | 3pl. | *se-...-mi |
Proto-Central Yapen:
| 1sg. | *y- (V), *ya- (C) | 1pl. | *tat- (incl.), *amat- (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *w- (V), *-u- (C) | 2pl. | *met- |
| 3sg. | *dy- (V), *-i- (C) | 3pl. | *et- |
| 1sg. | *-u, *-ni | 1pl. | *ta-...-mi (incl.), *ama-...-mi (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *-mu | 2pl. | *me-...-mi |
| 3sg. | *-nempai, *-na-ni | 3pl. | *se-...-mi |
Proto-Eastern Yapen:
| 1sg. | *ay- (V), *a- (C) | 1pl. | *t- (incl.), *nam- (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *b- (V), *-u- (C) | 2pl. | *mi- |
| 3sg. | *d- (V), *-i- (C) | 3pl. | *si- |
| 1sg. | *ai- | 1pl. | *ta- (incl.), *na- (excl.) |
| 2sg. | *me- | 2pl. | *mi- |
| 3sg. | *ne- | 3pl. | *si- |
From Kamholz (2024):
| Proto-Western Yapen | |
|---|---|
| Proto-Central-Western Yapen | |
| Reconstruction of | Western Yapen languages |
| Region | Western Yapen Island |
| Era | around 2000 years ago |
Reconstructed ancestors | |
Proto-Western Yapen, also known as Proto-Central-Western Yapen, was reconstructed in 1983 by P.J. Silzer, with further amendments by Usher and Gasser (in preparation). [1]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | *i | *u | |
| Close-mid | *e | *ə | *o |
| Open | *a |
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | * p , b | * t , d | * k | |
| Nasal | * m | * n | * ŋ (?) | |
| Fricative | * β | * s , *S | * x | |
| Rhotic | * r | |||
| Approximant | * w | * j | ||
| Unclear | *P, *B | *D | ||
Lexical reconstructions mentioned in Gasser and Benesch (2025):
| Proto-Western Yapen | Gloss |
|---|---|
| *βəβo | 'above, top' |
| *inapa | 'beach, shore' |
| *kaBaru[r] | 'bean' |
| *man | 'bird' |
| *woinai | 'bowl/bucket' |
| *=nunum | 'to burn, cook' |
| *wa | 'canoe' |
| *aNtum[a] | 'child' |
| *arixaN | 'child' |
| *=tara | 'to chop or pound sago' |
| *sur | 'comb' |
| *=sur | 'to comb' |
| *təbura | 'conch shell/trumpet' |
| *tau[i]n | 'cooked/dried sago' |
| *ano | 'cross-cousin' |
| *mararu | 'type of cooking pot' |
| *ur[u]n | 'type of cooking pot' |
| *=unum | 'to drink' |
| *=an | 'to eat' |
| *iai | 'father' |
| *tama | 'father, father's brother' |
| *βaβin | 'female, woman' |
| *=mun | 'to fight' |
| *adia | 'fire' |
| *dian | 'fish' |
| *taraN | 'type of fish harpoon or spear' |
| *=pot | 'to fish with a line' |
| *jer | 'type of fish poison' |
| *ne una | 'fish scales' |
| *se | 'type of fish trap' |
| *maraiN | 'fishing line' |
| *sarəper | 'fishing line' |
| *buoN | 'fruit' |
| *pi mun-a | 'game, prey' |
| *Busa(r) | 'gray, white' |
| *ruai | 'grill, rack for roasting' |
| *[o/u]tin | 'hundred' |
| *sawan | 'husband' |
| *inoi | 'knife' |
| *=məri | 'to laugh' |
| *=rep | 'to lick, taste' |
| *kaβui | 'loincloth' |
| *sur | 'louse' |
| *muan | 'male, man' |
| *=[r]aut | 'to marry, be married' |
| *tawan | 'matoa (Pometia pinnata)' |
| *s[i/e]na | 'mother, mother's sister' |
| *diru | 'night' |
| *pəreN | 'nipa palm' |
| *maniN | 'oil' |
| *su | 'papeda/sago porridge' |
| *=mopar | 'to poison fish' |
| *=iSin | 'to prepare papeda/sago porridge' |
| *=ram[i/u][s] | 'to rinse/squeeze sago' |
| *anaN | 'sago' |
| *parari | 'sago frond' |
| *amau | 'sago pounder' |
| *aro | 'sago swamp' |
| *kawein[i] | 'shrimp' |
| *raruo | 'sibling' |
| *amai | 'sibling-in-law' |
| *morir | 'spinefoot fish (Siganus sp.)' |
| *=iSan | 'to stab' |
| *=osar | 'to stand (up), wake up' |
| *=as | 'to swim' |
| *ma-muta | 'to vomit' |
| *a-mun-a | 'war' |
| *pi ma-mun-a | 'weapon' |