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]

Ethnically, speakers are either Asmat or Citak.

Evolution

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

Verbs

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

External links

Notes and References

  1. 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.
  2. https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/asmat-muli-strait/asmat-kamrau-bay/kamrau-bay New Guinea World, Kamrau Bay
  3. 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 .
  4. 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.