Rai Coast languages explained

Rai Coast
Also Known As:	South Madang
Region:	Papua New Guinea
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Northeast New Guinea?
Fam2:	Madang
Fam3:	Central Madang
Glotto:	raic1241
Glottorefname:	Rai Coast

The Rai Coast languages are a family of languages in the Madang stock of New Guinea.

Sidney Herbert Ray identified what was then known of the Rai Coast languages as a unit in 1919. They were linked with the Mabuso languages in 1951 by Arthur Capell in his Madang family.

Languages

Though the validity of Rai Coast is well established, there are ongoing adjustments to membership and internal classification. Malcolm Ross added two languages to Rai Coast, Tauya and Biyom, from the small erstwhile Brahman branch of Madang.

The languages are as follows,^[1]

• Rai Coast
  • Pulabu
  • Evapia–Kabenau
    • Evapia River
      • Kow
      • Kesawai, Sausi
    • Kolom (Migum), Siroi
    • West Kabenau River: Arawum–Lemio, Dumpu
  • Brahman – Peka River
    • Brahman

Biyom, Tauya

• • • Peka River
      • North: Sumau, Sop (Usino)
      • South: Danaru, Kobuga (= Urigina?)
  • Nuru River
    • Uya (Usu)
    • Kwato (Waube)
    • Lower Nuru River: Ogea (Erima), Uyaji–Amowe
  • Awung–Guabe Rivers
    • Awung River

Jilim, Among (= Rerau?)

• • • Yangulam

Ross (2000, 2005) reconstructs pronouns for proto-Sub-Rai, which is more-or-less synonymous with Rai Coast as a whole, proto-Mindjim, proto-Yaganon, and proto-Kow–Usino.

Bibliography

• • Ross, Malcolm. 2014. Proto-Rai-Coast. TransNewGuinea.org.
• Ross, Malcolm. 2014. Proto-Sub-Rai. TransNewGuinea.org.
• Z'graggen, J.A. A comparative word list of the Rai Coast languages, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. D-30, xvi + 196 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1980.

Notes and References

1. Web site: South Madang - newguineaworld .