Asmat languages explained

Asmat
Region:	Asmat Regency and Mappi Regency, South Papua
Ethnicity:	Asmat, Citak
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Trans–New Guinea
Fam2:	Asmat–Kamoro
Child2:	Citak
Child3:	North Asmat
Child4:	Central Asmat
Glotto:	asma1257
Glottorefname:	Asmat

Asmat is a Papuan language cluster of South Papua.

Languages

The principal varieties, distinct enough to be considered separate languages, are:^[1]

Asmat
- Kamrau Bay (Sabakor/Buruwai):^[2]
- Casuarina Coast (Kaweinag), the most divergent
- North and Central Asmat
  - Citak (Kaünak)
  - North Asmat
  - Central Asmat (dialects: Keenok, Sokoni, Keenakap, Kawenak)

Ethnically, speakers are either Asmat or Citak.

Below are some reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea proposed by Pawley (2012):^[3]

	Asmat (Flamingo Bay)
maŋgat[a] ‘teeth, mouth’	me
(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’	mer
niman ‘louse’	(Kamoro namo)
na- ‘eat’	na-
ni, *nu ‘’	na ‘.’, na(r) ‘.’
mun(a,i,u)ka ‘egg’	manaka
niman ‘louse’	(cf. Kamoro namo)
kasin ‘mosquito’	isi
mbena ‘arm’	man [ban]
mb(i,u)t(i,u)C ‘fingernail’	fit
imbi ‘name’	yipi
si(mb,p)at[V] ‘saliva’	(me)sep
(mb,p)ututu- ‘to fly’	(?) pimedial
kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’	kuwus
inda ‘fire’	(Central Coast Asmat isi)
tututu[ku] ‘straight’	toror
k(i,u)tuma ‘night, morning’	iram
tututu[ku] ‘straight’	toror
ti, *titi ‘tooth’	ji
ata ‘excrement’	asa
(ŋg,k)atata ‘dry’	soso
kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’	kuwus
kasin ‘mosquito’	(Citak Asmat isi)
inda ‘fire’	(Central Coast Asmat isi)
ke(nj,s)a ‘blood’	es
maŋgV ‘compact round object’	moko-per ‘navel’
mun(a,i,u)ka ‘egg’	manaka
ke(nj,s)a ‘blood’	es
kasin ‘mosquito’	(Central Asmat isi)
k(i,u)tuma ‘night, morning’	yiram
kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’	kuwus
(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’	(Flamingo Bay Asmat mer ‘lightning’)
ya ‘’	a

In Flamingo Bay Asmat, light verbs are combined with adjuncts to form predicative expressions.^[4]

e- ‘do’
- atow e- /play do/ ‘play’
- caj e- /copulate do/ ‘copulate’
- yan e- /ear do/ ‘listen’
yi- ‘say’
- po yi- /paddle say/ ‘paddle’
- yan yi- /ear say/ ‘hear’
- mesa yi- /saliva say/ ‘spit’
af- ‘hit’
- yaki af- /sneeze hit/ ‘sneeze’
- namir af- /death hit/ ‘die’
- omop af- /blow hit/ ‘beat’

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.
https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/asmat-muli-strait/asmat-kamrau-bay/kamrau-bay New Guinea World, Kamrau Bay
Pawley . Andrew . Andrew Pawley . 2012 . History, Contact and Classification of Papuan Languages . Language & Linguistics in Melanesia Special Issue 2012: Part I . 0023-1959 . Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea . Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea . Hammarström . Harald . van den Heuvel . Wilco . How reconstructable is proto Trans New Guinea? Problems, progress, prospects . 88–164. 1885/38602 .
Book: Foley, William A. . William A. Foley . Palmer . Bill . 2018 . The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide . The morphosyntactic typology of Papuan languages . The World of Linguistics . 4 . Berlin . De Gruyter Mouton . 895–938 . 978-3-11-028642-7.