Yam languages
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| Yam | |
|---|---|
| Morehead River | |
| Geographic distribution | Morehead River watershed, New Guinea |
| Linguistic classification | A primary language family
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | more1255 |
| ELP | Lua error in Module:Endangered_Languages_Project at line 21: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| File:Morehead and Upper Maro River languages.svg Map: The Yam languages of New Guinea
Yam languages
Trans–New Guinea languages
Other Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Australian languages
Uninhabited | |
The Yam languages, also known as the Morehead River languages, are a family of Papuan languages. They include many of the languages south and west of the Fly River in Papua New Guinea and Indonesian Western New Guinea (South Papua).
Name
[edit | edit source]The name Morehead and Upper Maro River, or Morehead–Maro, refers to the area around the Morehead and Maro rivers. Most of the languages are found between these rivers, but the Nambu subgroup are spoken east of the Morehead. Evans (2012) refers to the family instead with the more compact name Yam. This name is motivated by a number of linguistic and cultural items of significance: yam (and cognates) means "custom, tradition"; yəm (and cognates) means "is"; and yam tubers are the local staple and of central cultural importance.
External relationships
[edit | edit source]Ross (2005) tentatively includes the Yam languages in the proposed Trans-Fly – Bulaka River family. More recently (Evans 2012) has argued that this is not justified and more data has to be gathered. Evans (2018) classifies the Pahoturi River languages as an independent language family.[1]
Yam languages have also been in intensive contact with Marind and Suki speakers, who had historically expanded into Yam-speaking territories via headhunting raids and other expansionary migrations.[1]
Classification
[edit | edit source]Internal classification of the Yam languages:[2]
- Yei
- Tonda languages (a dialect chain)
- Nambu languages (a dialect chain)
Wichmann (2013) did not find a connection between the branches in his automated comparison.[3]
Languages
[edit | edit source]Yam languages are spoken by up to 3,000 people on both sides of the border in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. In Papua New Guinea, Yam languages are spoken in Morehead Rural LLG, Western Province. In Papua, Indonesia, Yam languages are spoken in Merauke Regency.[1]
Yam languages and respective demographic information listed by Evans (2018) are provided below.[1] Geographical coordinates are also provided for some villages.[4]
List of Yam languages Language Alternative names Subgroup Speakers Villages or hamlets Anta Tokwe, Upper Morehead, Thamnga Tonda 150 Ufarua (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Forzitho, Thamgakar (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Komnzo Kamundjo, Upper Morehead, (Mema, Ranzér), Zókwasi, Farem Tonda 200 Rouku (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Gunana, Morehead (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Firra, Masu, Kanathér in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Wára Tjokwe, Upper Morehead, Wära, Mät Tonda 350 Yokwa (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), (Mäwsa, Kwaikér, Zäzér Ménz) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Wérè Tokwe, Upper Morehead, Wórä Tonda 100 Tokwa (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Kanfok in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Kémä Upper Morehead Tonda 130 Wämnefér (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Kánchá Kunja, Lower Morehead, Peremka, Kénzä Tonda 350* Bondobol (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Bula (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Jarai (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in southeast Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Ránmo Tonda, Renmo, Blafe Tonda 200* Yéndorodoro (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Mengete (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in west Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Mblafe Blafe, Blafe Wonana, Tonda Tonda 350* Weam (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Kandarisa (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Wereaver (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) (only recently in Wereaver) in west Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Warta Thuntai Guntai, Kan Tonda 430 Wando (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Bensbach (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Balamuk, Korombo 1, Korombo 2 (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in mid southwest Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Arammba None Tonda 750 Fwasam, Gowi, Kiriwa (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Meru (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Sedefi (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Serki (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in north central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Nggarna Ngar, Kanum, Sota Tonda unknown Vicinity of Sota in west Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Rema Tonda 10? (moribund or extinct) Wereaver (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in west Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Smerki Smärki, Kanum, Barkari Tonda 150 Rawu Biru, Tomer, Tomerau, Yakiw in southeast Merauke Regency, Indonesia Tamer Smerki, Smärki, Kanum Tonda 120 Yanggandur (recently moved there) in southeast Merauke Regency, Indonesia Ngkontar Ngkontar, Ngkolmpu Tonda 100 Yanggandur in southeast Merauke Regency, Indonesia and into PNG Ngkolmpu Kiki, Ngkntra Kiki, Kanum, Enkelembu, Kenume, Knwne Tonda east Merauke Regency, Indonesia and into PNG Bedi Ngkolmpu Kanum, Enkelembu, Kenume, Knwne Tonda 5 (moribund or extinct) Onggaya in south central Merauke Regency, Indonesia Yei Yei 1278 Po, Torai, Bupul, Tanas, Kwel in east Merauke Regency, Indonesia Nen Nambu 350 Bimadeben (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Nama Nambu 1200 Daraia (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Mata (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Ngaraita (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Namat Mibini Nambu 170* Mibini (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Nambo Nmbo, Keraki; Namna, Yarne Nambu 710 Nambo variety: Gubam (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Bebdeben (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Arufi (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG; Namna variety: Pongarki (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Derideri (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Neme Nambu 200 Keru (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Mitere in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Dre Ndre Nambu 1 Ramar in central Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Namo Nä Nambu 374* Tais (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), Mari (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.) in south Morehead Rural LLG, PNG Len Lä Nambu 8–10 Now living in Tais (Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.), original village was Yaoga in south Morehead Rural LLG, PNG
See also: Districts of Papua (Indonesian Wikipedia)
Pronouns
[edit | edit source]The pronouns Ross (2005) reconstructs for the family are,
- Proto-Yam (Proto–Morehead – Upper Maro)
I/we *ni you *bu s/he/they *be
Typology
[edit | edit source]Many Yam languages display vowel harmony, including in Nambu and Tonda languages.[1]
Vocabulary comparison
[edit | edit source]The following basic vocabulary words are from McElhanon & Voorhoeve (1970)[5] and Voorhoeve (1975),[6] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.[7]
The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. tor, ter for “tooth”) or not (e.g. sento, yarmaker for “bird”).
gloss Kanum Yei head mel kilpel hair mel-kata peab eye si cur tooth tor ter leg tegu cere louse neːmpin nim dog krar jeu pig kwer becek bird sento yarmaker egg bel mekur blood mbel gul bone mbaːr gor skin keikei paːr tree per per man ire el-lu sun koŋko mir water ataka kao fire mens benj stone melle mejer name iu ore eat anaŋ cenye one namper nampei two yempoka yetapae
Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Carroll, Matthew J., Nicholas Evans, I Wayan Arka, Christian Döhler, Eri Kashima, Volker Gast, Tina Gregor, Julia Miller, Emil Mittag, Bruno Olsson, Dineke Schokkin, Jeff Siegel, Charlotte van Tongeren & Kyla Quinn. 2016. Yamfinder: Southern New Guinea Lexical Database.
- Döhler, Christian (2018) A grammar of Komnzo. (Studies in Diversity Linguistics 22). Berlin: Language Science Press. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. Accessed on 2019-11-12.
- Evans, Nicholas, I Wayan Arka, Matthew Carroll, Christian Döhler, Eri Kashima, Emil Mittag, Kyla Quinn, Jeff Siegel, Philip Tama & Charlotte van Tongeren. 2017. The languages of Southern New Guinea. In Bill Palmer (ed.), The languages and linguistics of the New Guinea area, 641–774. Berlin; Boston: Walter de Gruyter. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. Accessed on 2019-11-12.
- Kaiping, Gereon A. & Edwards, Owen & Klamer, Marian (eds.). 2019. LexiRumah 2.2.3. Leiden: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. Available online at https://lexirumah.model-ling.eu/lexirumah/. Accessed on 2019-09-14.
- Greenhill et al., 2008. In: Kaiping, Gereon A. & Edwards, Owen & Klamer, Marian (eds.). 2019. LexiRumah 2.2.3. Leiden: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. Available online at https://lexirumah.model-ling.eu/lexirumah/. Accessed on 2019-09-14.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Morehead River
- ^ Wichmann, Søren. 2013. A classification of Papuan languages Archived 2020-11-25 at the Wayback Machine. In: Hammarström, Harald and Wilco van den Heuvel (eds.), History, contact and classification of Papuan languages (Language and Linguistics in Melanesia, Special Issue 2012), 313-386. Port Moresby: Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ McElhanon, K.A. and Voorhoeve, C.L. The Trans-New Guinea Phylum: Explorations in deep-level genetic relationships. B-16, vi + 112 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1970. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ 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. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Yamfinder
- Morehead languages documentation project (DOBES)
- Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, East Morehead River[permanent dead link] (under construction 2020)
- (ibid.) West Morehead River (under construction 2020)