Pawaia language

Pawaia, also known as Sira, Tudahwe, Yasa, is a Papuan language that forms a tentative independent branch of the Trans–New Guinea family in the classification of Malcolm Ross (2005).

Pawaia
RegionPapua New Guinea
Native speakers
6,000 (2000)[1]
Dialects
  • Aurama (Turoha, Uri)
  • Hauruha
Language codes
ISO 639-3pwa
Glottologpawa1255
ELPPawaia
Map: The Pawaia language of New Guinea
  The Pawaia language
  Trans–New Guinea languages
  Other Papuan languages
  Austronesian languages
  Uninhabited

Distribution

Pawaia is spoken in:[1]

Classification

Although Pawaia has reflexes of proto-Trans–New Guinea vocabulary, Ross considers its inclusion questionable on available evidence. Usher classifies it instead with the Teberan languages. Noting insufficient evidence, Pawley and Hammarström (2018) leave it as unclassified rather than as part of Trans-New Guinea.[4]

Pawley and Hammarström (2018) do not consider there to be sufficient evidence for Pawaia to be classified as part of Trans-New Guinea, though they do note the following lexical resemblances between Pawaia and proto-Trans-New Guinea.[4]

  • emi ‘breast’ < *amu
  • in ‘tree’ < *inda
  • su ‘tooth’ < *(s,t)i(s,t)i

Vocabulary

The following basic vocabulary words are from Macdonald (1973)[5] and Trefry (1969),[6] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[7]

glossPawaia
headmu
hairmuse; sị
earnȩᶦ; nɛ̣i
eyeto; toᵘ
noseho; họ
toothsu
tongueha̧pi; hɛmina
leghɛ; si̧ʔi̧
lousepo; poř
doghạ; hɛ̧
pigya
birddeř; ge
eggge džu; yo
bloodsɛni; su̧
bonedžɛmɛ; yɛmi
skinhɛʔȩ; hɛi
breastɛmi
treei̧; in
mandžʌʔla; yala
womanoi; u
sunol; olsuɛ; sia
moonwe; wɛ
watersa
firesia
stonetobu; topu
road, pathsụ
namehɛʔɛpi; hopi
eathatisụɛ; ti haʔayɛ
onepɛʔɛmi; pomi
twonaʔau; nau

Further reading
  • Trefry, David. 1969. A Comparative Study of Kuman and Pawaian. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

References
  1. Pawaia at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) closed access
  2. New Guinea World, Tua River
  3. Oroi is next to Kaiau and is located in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.
  4. Pawley, Andrew; Hammarström, Harald (2018). "The Trans New Guinea family". 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. 21–196. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  5. Macdonald, G.E. "The Teberan Language Family". In Franklin, K. editor, The linguistic situation in the Gulf District and adjacent areas, Papua New Guinea. C-26:111-148. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1973. doi:10.15144/PL-C26.111
  6. Trefry, D. A comparative study of Kuman and Pawaian. B-13, vi + 99 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1969. doi:10.15144/PL-B13
  7. Greenhill, Simon (2016). "TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea". Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  • 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.
  • Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Pawaia
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