Left May languages

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]

Left May
Arai
Geographic
distribution
Left May River, eastern Sandaun Province and western East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classificationArai–Samaia or independent language family
  • Left May
Glottologleft1242

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]

glossAmaBoIteri (Rocky Peak dialect)IteriNimoOwiniga
head kamu; 'kaːmũkʌmiʔɛmiʔami; ʔa'm̀ikɛmɛ; 'kɛmɛh
hair kamusowa; 'kaːmũsuɒkʌmsiyaʔɛmisuamiʔamiso; ʔami'sò'kamo; kɛmo
ear i'ɒː; ʔiaʔoæuɔ; ʔɔiso; is̯o; i'só
eye mʝɒː; mʌřamʌǏoᵽogwamɔ; moh'mǒro; mořo
nose amu; 'aːmũkiʔɩmodʋimuřʔimʌtɛmɛři; tə'mʌ́li
tooth kiʔeɩimɛři; i'mʌli
tongue isauna; i'saːunɔ̃lɛsɛlɛtɛisaːbe; isaːpeisɩ; ise
leg 'ɸeʌufeřǽ
louse ʔani; ʌ'nĩːkaʔɔæamiᶗ; ʔamiyoeni; kemo; tařap̶úmwaino
dog aǏuou; ʌʝɔ'wɔːunařisosoʔʔau; ʔauhbɛlɩ; bɛři
pig ᵽu; ʍuːᵽuᵽuhwusuᵽukebaře; kebáře
bird o; oːwowařiwʌ; 'ẃəlibe; mbɛh; ya
egg oː iː; ʔuiwɔiʔabotɩnowoii; sáːviyabene; mɛřɛfi; mɛřɛri; pe'dana
blood 'nãːkɒ; nakʌʔkwowowoʔiwʌke; takona
bone miː; mĩːmutukmotoᵽʋmotomimiři; nom
skin au; 'tɔːnɔ̃tʌpɔdɛbonaeabu; ʔi'nʌ̀fɛřæ; fɛřai; numə'řài; sepe
breast nanʌ; 'nãːnɔ̃nou'náinoh; nano
tree ãː; ʔąkaʔaąʔa; ʔaa; ʔaː
man nʌ̃'kɒː; nʌkanʌkʌnonaunɔː; nɔno 'sámonəgaina; 'nɛ́ka; nʌga; nʌgaina
woman mwi; nə̃'nĩː; nʌkʌǏaǏakwauwa; ʔwanią; nià 'sámo'níboh; nini
sun o'ʝɒː'húanotabeřa; mbɛ'lah
moon ʌ'mũːʔi'ḿʌ'fonai; fořai
water i'wɒː; ʔiwaʔuʔuuwi; ʔwibi; ʔmi
fire taː; tahtayɛyʋtasa; sah
stone tɛmʌkiʔ; tʌmʌ̃'kiːtʌpʌkitʌbemasɩtə'pái; tʌpeisia; si'yà; sya
road, path mʝɒː; mʌǏakeři; kʌřiʔæliwiʌřiáři; ařiImaǥamář; meřeb̶i; mɛ'řiƀi
name 'siːʌʝɔ
eat napʌna; tə'nɔ̃ːsanoʔwɛnopano; 'yʌ́no 'sánoepepeki; siyunò; tauna
one siasʌ; 'siːʌsɔsɔsɔsʋsosusæsæsiʌesʌ; 'síyasəya'liƀuh; yəvyaro; yʌřu
two tiwe; 'tiːweitisʌtisolisæʔtiː; tiĩsi'máƀi; simʌbi; siməbi

See also

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. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  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.
  • Laycock, Donald C. (1973). Sepik languages: checklist and preliminary classification. Canberra: Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-85883-084-4. OCLC 5027628.
  • Laycock, Donald C. (1975). "Sko, Kwomtari, and Left May (Arai) phyla". In Stephen A. Wurm (ed.). Papuan languages and the New Guinea linguistic scene: New Guinea area languages and language study 1. Canberra: Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. pp. 849–858. OCLC 37096514.
  • Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.