Asmat–Mombum languages explained

Asmat–Muli Strait
Region:	New Guinea
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Trans–New Guinea
Child1:	Asmat–Kamrau
Child2:	Muli Strait
Glotto:	none
Map:	Asmat-Kamoro languages.svg
Mapcaption:	Map: The Asmat-Muli Strait languages of New Guinea

The Asmat–Muli Strait languages are a branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages spoken along the southern coast of Indonesian New Guinea, established by Timothy Usher and Edgar Suter.^[1]

Protoforms of basic vocabulary include *moi 'water', *iafVnV 'ear', *uase 'name', *awoɣ 'breast'.^[1]

Subdivision

Asmat–Muli Strait consists of two primary subgroups:^[2]

• Asmat–Kamrau
• Muli Strait (or Mombum, Komolom)

Proto-language

Phonology

Proto-Asmat–Muli Strait is reconstructed with 12 consonants and 5 vowels:^[1]

m	n
p	t		k
(m)b	(n)d		(ŋ)g
	s
w	ɾ	j

Vowels are *a *e *i *o *u.

Basic vocabulary

Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:^[1]

gloss	Proto-Asmat-Muli	Proto-Asmat-Kamrau	Proto-Muli Strait
head/hair	gVɸV	uɸu	ɣo̝p, *ɣo̝w
ear	iaɸVnV	iaɸ[a/o]ne	ie̝pær
nose/tip	mVnVgV	m[e/a]n[e]	mæne̝ɣ
tooth/sharp	sisV	sisV	-sir
blood	[i/e]sV	ese	ir
breast	awVgV	awo	abuɣ
louse	amV	amo	am
dog	iuwuɾi	juwuɾi	i[u]bui
pig	[o/u]ɸV	oɸo	up
egg	[o]k[a]	oka
sun	jau[a]	jawu	zaua
water	mVi	moi	mo̝i
name	uase	uwase	ur
eat	nV	nV	no̝ku

External links

• Timothy Usher & Edgar Suter, New Guinea World, Proto–Asmat – Muli Strait
• Asmat-Kamrau Bay. New Guinea World.
• Asmat-Kamoro. New Guinea World.
• Asmat. New Guinea World.
• Kamrau Bay. New Guinea World.
• Muli Strait. New Guinea World.

Notes and References

1. https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/asmat-muli-strait New Guinea World, Asmat – Muli Strait
2. The Asmat-Muli Languages of Southwestern New Guinea . Language & Linguistics in Melanesia . 38 . 2020 . 0023-1959 . Edgar . Suter . Timothy . Usher . Journal of the Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea . Port Moresby.