| Abom | |
| Region: | Papua New Guinea |
| Speakers: | 3 |
| Date: | 2018 |
| Ref: | e25 |
| Familycolor: | Papuan |
| Fam1: | Trans–New Guinea |
| Map: | Abom language.svg |
| Mapcaption: | Map: The Abom language of New Guinea |
| Iso3: | aob |
| Glotto: | abom1238 |
| Glottorefname: | Abom |
Abom is a nearly extinct language spoken in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. According to a 2002 census, only 15 people still speak this language. All of the speakers are older adults. Middle-aged adults have some understanding of it, but no children speak or understand Abom.
Abom is spoken in Lewada (-8.3352°N 142.7804°W), Mutam (-8.425°N 142.9304°W), and Tewara (-8.3742°N 142.4564°W) villages of Gogodala Rural LLG.[1]
Abom is not close to other languages. Pawley and Hammarström (2018) classify Abom as a divergent Tirio language on the basis of morphological evidence; Abom shares the same gender ablaut pattern as other Tirio languages.[2] Evans (2018), however, lists Abom as a separate branch of Trans-New Guinea.[3] Suter & Usher find that it is not an Anim language (the Trans–New Guinea family that includes the Tirio languages), but does appear to be divergent Trans–New Guinea.[4] Part of the problem lies in the fact that many recorded Abom words are loans from the Inland Gulf languages, reducing the material needed for comparison.
Jore and Alemán (2002: 48) give pronouns for Abom as follows:
| sg. | pl. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | nɛ: | gɛ: | |
| 2 | gɛ: | ||
| 3 | ete | dzi | |