Somahai language

Momuna (Momina), also known as Somahai (Somage, Sumohai), is a Papuan language spoken in Yahukimo Regency, Highland Papua and Asmat Regency, South Papua, Indonesia.

Momuna
Somahai
Native toIndonesia
RegionHighland Papua: Yahukimo Regency
South Papua: western Asmat Regency
Native speakers
(2,200 cited 1998–2000)[1]
Dialects
  • Momuna
  • Momina
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
mqf – Momuna
mmb – Momina
Glottologsoma1242
ELP

Varieties

Reimer notes two dialects, one on the Balim River and one on the Rekai. One of the differences is that when /u/ follows an /u/ or /o/ in the Balim dialect, it is /i/ in the Rekai dialect. Thus the ethnonym 'Momuna' is pronounced 'Momina' in Rekai dialect.[3]

Classification

The Somahai pronouns, singular *na, *ka, *mo, are typical of Trans–New Guinea languages. They were placed in the Central and South New Guinea branch of that family by Wurm. Ross could not locate enough evidence to classify them. Usher found them to be closest to the Mek languages, in the Central West New Guinea, which partially overlaps with Wurm's C&SNG.

Vocabulary

The following basic vocabulary words of Momuna are from Voorhoeve (1975),[4] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[5][6]

glossMomuna
head toko
hair toko-ate
eye otu
tooth ija
leg i jo-ku
louse amega
dog kwoka
pig uwo
egg magisaga
blood janɨ
bone toko
skin ke
tree kwo
man mogo-mearu
sun ɨkɨ
water iŋga
fire kukwa
stone kɨ
eat nowa-

further reading
  • Reimer, Martha. 1986. The notion of topic in Momuna narrative discourse. 181–204. Pacific Linguistics A-74. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

References
  1. Momuna at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Momina at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Momuna–Mek, New Guinea World
  3. Momuna, New Guinea World
  4. Voorhoeve, C.L. Languages of Irian Jaya: Checklist. Preliminary classification, language maps, wordlists. B-31, iv + 133 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1975. doi:10.15144/PL-B31
  5. Greenhill, Simon (2016). "TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea". Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  6. Voorhoeve, C.L., 1975. Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  • 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.
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