Greater Binanderean languages explained

Greater Binanderean
Also Known As:	Guhu-Oro
Region:	Oro Province and parts of southern Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Binanderean–Goilalan^[1]
Child1:	Binanderean (Oro)
Child2:	Guhu-Samane
Glotto:	bina1276
Glottorefname:	Greater Binanderean
Map:	Binanderean languages.svg
Mapcaption:	Map: The Greater Binanderean languages of New Guinea

The Greater Binanderean or Guhu-Oro languages are a language family spoken along the northeast coast of the Papuan Peninsula – the "Bird's Tail" of New Guinea – and appear to be a recent expansion from the north. They were classified as a branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages by Stephen Wurm (1975) and Malcolm Ross (2005), but removed (along with the related Goilalan languages) by Timothy Usher (2020). The Binandere family proper is transparently valid; Ross connected it to the Guhu-Semane isolate based on pronominal evidence, and this has been confirmed by Smallhorn (2011). Proto-Binanderean (which excludes Guhu-Samane) has been reconstructed in Smallhorn (2011).

Language contact

There is evidence that settlements of people speaking Oceanic languages along the Binanderean coast were gradually absorbed into inland communities speaking Binanderean languages (Bradshaw 2017). For instance, the SOV word order of Papuan Tip languages is due to Binanderean influence.^[2]

Korafe displays significant influence from Oceanic languages. Meanwhile, Maisin, spoken in Oro Province, is an Oceanic language with very heavy Binanderean influence and shows characteristics typical of mixed languages.^[2]

Spoken in Morobe Province, Guhu-Samane is divergent, which may be due to extensive historical contact with Oceanic languages such as Numbami.^[2]

Classification

Greater Binanderean consists of the Guhu-Samane language and the Binanderean languages proper.Smallhorn (2011:444) provides the following classification:

• Greater Binanderean
  • Guhu-Samane
  • Binanderean
    • Yekora
    • North Binanderean
      • Suena
      • Zia
    • Nuclear Binanderean
      • Binandere
      • South Binanderean
        • Orokaivic
          • Aeka (Northern Orokaiva)
          • Orokaiva
          • Hunjara (Mountain Orokaiva)
        • Coastal Binanderean
          • Notu-Yega (Ewage)
          • Gaena-Korafe
          • Baruga

However, South Binanderean and Nuclear Binanderean are non-genealogical linkages. Usher (2020), who calls the Binanderean languages proper "Oro" after Oro Province, classifies them very similarly, apart from not reproducing the non-cladistic linkages:^[3]

• Guhu–Oro (= Greater Binanderean)
  • Guhu-Samane
  • Oro (= Binanderean)
    • Binandere
    • Yekora
    • Ewage-Notu
    • Suena–Zia (= North Binanderean)
      • Suena
      • Zia
    • Central Oro (= Orokaivic)
      • Aeka
      • Orokaiva
      • Hunjara
    • Southeast Oro (= Coastal Binanderean, minus Ewage-Notu)
      • Baruga
      • Gaina–Korafe
        • Gaina
        • Korafe-Yegha

Demographics

Smallhorn (2011:3) provides population figures for the following Binanderean languages.

• Guhu-Samane

12,800

• Suena

3,000

• Yekora

1,000

• Zia

3,000

• Mawae

943

• Binandere

7,000 (including Ambasi)

• Aeka

3,400

• Orokaiva

24,000

• Hunjara

8,770

• Notu

12,900 (including Yega)

• Gaena

1,410

• Baruga

2,230

• Doghoro

270

• Korafe

3,630

Total: about 80,000

Proto-language

Pronouns

Ross (2005) reconstructs both independent pronouns and verbal person prefixes:

sg.	pronoun	prefix
1	na	a-
2	ni	i-
3	nu	u-

Only 1sg continues the Trans-New Guinea set.

Vocabulary

The following selected reconstructions of Proto-Binanderean and other lower-level reconstructions are from the Trans-New Guinea database:^[4]

gloss	Proto-Binandere	Proto-North-Binandere	Proto-Nuclear-Binandere
head	ciro; *giti
hair	tu
ear		doŋgarә	onje
eye	dibe; *diti
nose		mendә
tooth	di
tongue	VwVwV
dog	sinә
pig	pu
bird			ndi
egg	munju
blood	ju; *orrә
bone	bobo; *wetu
skin	tamә
breast	ami
tree	i
man	embә
woman	bamnә		ewVtu
sky	utu
sun	iji; *waeko	wari
moon	inua		kariga
fire	awo
stone	gmb(ro)	daba	ganuma
road, path	begata; *esa; *ndai
name	jajo; *jawә
eat	ind-; *mind-
one	daba

Evolution

Greater Binanderean reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma are:^[5]

Binandere language

• ‘lightning’ < *
• ‘nose’ < *
• ‘kidney, testicles’ < * ‘internal organs’
• ‘eye’ < *
• ‘sap’ < * ‘sap, milk’
• ‘breast’ < *
• ‘head’ < *
• ‘teeth’ < * ‘tooth’
• ‘spittle’, - ‘to spit’ < * ‘to spit’
• ‘father’ < *
• ‘man’ < *
• ‘tree’ < *
• ‘stone’ < *
• ‘darkness’ < * ‘night’
• ‘lightning’ < * ‘(fire)light’
• ‘fire’ < * ‘ashes’
• ‘bird’ < *
• ‘eat, drink’ < *
• ‘to blow’ < * + verb
• ‘short’ < *

Korafe language

• ‘egg’ < * ‘internal organs’
• ‘urine’ < *
• ‘burning stick’ < * ‘ashes’
• ‘give’ < *
• ‘hear, understand’ < * ‘know’

Suena language

• ‘destitute’ < * ‘orphan, widow and child’
• ‘mother’ < *
• ‘night’ < *
• ‘taro’ < *
• ‘netbag’ < *

Yega language

• ‘ear’ < *

Phonotactics

Like the Koiarian languages, Binanderean languages only allow for open syllables and do not allow final CVC.^[5]

References

• • Smallhorn, Jacinta Mary (2011). The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Further reading

• Proto-Binandere. TransNewGuinea.org. From Smallhorn, J. 2011. The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Proto-Nuclear-Binandere. TransNewGuinea.org. From Smallhorn, J. 2011. The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Proto-North-Binandere. TransNewGuinea.org. From Smallhorn, J. 2011. The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Proto-South-Binandere. TransNewGuinea.org. From Smallhorn, J. 2011. The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Proto-Orokaiva. TransNewGuinea.org. From Smallhorn, J. 2011. The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Proto-Coastal-Binandere. TransNewGuinea.org. From Smallhorn, J. 2011. The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Proto-Baruga. TransNewGuinea.org. From Smallhorn, J. 2011. The Binanderean languages of Papua New Guinea: reconstruction and subgrouping. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Wilson, D. "The Binandere Language Family". In Capell, A., Healey, A. and Wilson, D. editors, Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 9. A-18:65-86. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1969.

External links

• Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Guhu–Oro
• Doregari Kotopu Anglican Holy Communion in Binandere, digitized by Richard Mammana and Charles Wohlers
• Benunu tepo ae sakrament da kandoari ae ekalesia da jimbo nenei ainda book England da ekalesia da jimbo ango (1959) Book of Common Prayer digitized by Richard Mammana
• King, Copland. 1927. Grammar and Dictionary of the Binandere Language, Mamba River, North Division, Papua. Sydney: D.S. Ford. http://www.sil.org/pacific/png/abstract.asp?id=599

Notes and References

1. Web site: New Guinea World, Oro – Wharton Range . 2018-01-04 .
2. Bradshaw, Joel (2017). Evidence of contact between Binanderean and Oceanic languages. Oceanic Linguistics 56:395–414.
3. https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/oro-wharton-range/guhu-oro/oro New Guinea World – Guhu-Oro
4. Web site: TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea . Greenhill . Simon . 2016. 2020-11-05.
5. Book: Pawley . Andrew . Hammarström . Harald . Palmer . Bill . 2018 . The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide . The Trans New Guinea family . The World of Linguistics . 4 . Berlin . De Gruyter Mouton . 21–196 . 978-3-11-028642-7.