Anim languages explained

Anim
Also Known As:	Fly River
Region:	Fly River, central southern New Guinea
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Trans-New Guinea?
Child1:	Inland Gulf
Child2:	Tirio
Child3:	Boazi
Child4:	Marind–Yaqai
Protoname:	Proto-Anim
Glotto:	anim1240
Glottorefname:	Anim
Map:	Anim languages.svg
Mapcaption:	Map: The Anim languages of New Guinea

The Anim or Fly River languages are a language family in south-central New Guinea established by Usher & Suter (2015).^[1] The names of the family derive from the Fly River and from the Proto-Anim word *anim 'people'.^[1]

Languages

The 17 Anim languages belong to the following four subfamilies:

• Inland Gulf
• Tirio (Lower Fly River)
• Boazi (Lake Murray)
• Marind (Marind–Yaqai)

The moribund Abom language, previously considered a member of the Tirio family, is of uncertain classification, possibly Trans–New Guinea, but does not appear to be Anim. The extinct Karami language, attested only in a short word list and previously assigned to the Inland Gulf family, defies classification (Usher and Suter 2015).

Anim languages and respective demographic information listed by Evans (2018) are provided below.^[2]

List of Anim languages! Language !! Subgroup !! Location !! Population !! Alternate names

		central Merauke Regency and southeast corner (Indonesia)	7,000
		northeast Merauke Regency (Indonesia)	2,900
	Yaqay	eastern Mappi Regency (Indonesia)	10,000
	Yaqay	south Asmat Regency (Indonesia)	300
	Lake Murray (Boazi)	west Lake Murray (PNG)	4,500
	Lake Murray (Boazi)	southwest Lake Murray across border (PNG)	1,500
	Tirio (Lower Fly)	south bank of lower Fly River (PNG)	1900	Makayam
	Tirio (Lower Fly)	south bank of lower Fly River (PNG)	860	Mutum, Paswam, Bituri
	Tirio (Lower Fly)	south Gogodala Rural LLG (PNG)	220	Aturu
	Tirio (Lower Fly)	Gogodala Rural LLG (PNG)	700	Were
	Tirio (Lower Fly)	south bank of lower Fly River (PNG)	850
	Ipiko (Inland Gulf)	West Kikori Rural LLG (PNG)

Reconstruction

Phonemes

Proto-Anim
Familycolor:	Papuan
Target:	Anim languages

Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:^[3]

m	n
p	t		k
mb	nd		ŋg
ɸ	s
w	r	j

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

Pronouns

Proto-Anim pronouns (Usher and Suter 2015):^[1]

	sg	pl
1	na-	ni-
2	ŋga-	ja
3	(u)a-	ja

By 2020, comparison with the neighboring TNG branch Awyu–Ok had led so some revision of the reconstructions. Here are the nominative and possessive/object forms:^[3]

	sg	pl
1	no, *na-	ni, *na-/*ni-
2	ŋgo, **ŋga-	[i/e]o, *[i/e]a-
3m	e, *e-	i, *i-
3f	u, *u-

The demonstrative third-person forms *e-, *u-, *i- are an innovation shared with proto-Awyu–Ok, which has the same vowel ablaut in the second person as well. They reflect a gender ablaut of msg *e, fsg *u, nsg *[a/o], and pl *i, as in *anem 'man', *anum 'woman', *anim 'people', or *we 'father', *wu 'mother', *wi 'parents'.^[3]

Lexicon

Proto-Anim lexical reconstructions by Usher & Suter (2015) are:^[1]

gloss	Proto-Anim
‘house’	aɸ(a,o)
‘younger sibling’	am(o)=e/*am=u
‘laugh’	awend(V)
‘thigh’	mboɸo
‘breast’	mbumb(V)
‘tree’	nde
‘navel’	ndekum(u)
‘sago’	ndou
‘build a nest’	ewes
‘bone’	ɸia(u)
‘rain’	ŋg(a,o)e
‘night’	ŋgap(o)
‘eat, drink’	ŋg(e,a)i
‘root’	itit(i)
‘lip’	itup(u)
‘cry’	iwo
‘tooth’	kam(V)
‘egg, seed’	kan(a,e)
‘paddle’	kawea
‘mouth, teeth’	maŋg(a,o)t(o)
‘come’	mano
‘speech, voice’	mean(V)
‘two’	measi
‘fruit, seed’	moko(m)
‘heart’	muki(k)
‘mosquito’	naŋg(a,i)t(i)
‘banana’	napet(o)
‘sleep’	nu
‘forearm’	piŋgi
‘stand’	ratinV
‘hand’	seŋga
‘tongue’	sas(a)
‘meat, fish’	sawa(i)
‘tail feathers’	sum(V)
‘fire, tree’	tae
‘wing’	taɸ(u)
‘nape’	temuk(u)
‘lie down’	tenV

Below are selected reconstructions for Proto-Fly River (Proto-Anim) and branches by Usher (2020).^[3]

gloss								Proto- Yakhai
head		gia				pa	muku
hair			duɾumə; *duɾum
ear		tu; *jeja	towap		kambet	kembet, *kambet	k[e]mbet
eye	kindV[C]	kuɸino	baɾid		kind	kind	kind
nose		dasi	miw			aŋgi₂p	s[e/a]maŋg
tooth	kam	ta; *bese	suwə; *kam; *su	kam	maŋg[e/a]t	maŋgat	maŋg[e/a]t
tongue	sas	koda; *sasa	jimə; *jim	naseam; *sas	inVm	inum	in[e/a]m
leg		idini				tegu
louse	n[u]m[u]ŋg	uani	oɾ[eae]n	[num]uŋg	nambun	nahun; *mba[m/mb]	nambun
dog		gaso	s[eae]; *diɾean	gaɣo		ŋgat
pig	mbasik	maɸa	m[i/e]nawə	basik	basik	basik	basik
bird		ewesa	dawod			ujub		pet[e/a]ɣau
egg	kanV	ɸutu; *usu	sVɣaɾə		mogaw; *kan[a]	magaw	mo[k/ɣ]a
blood			nauɾə	kouk		do
bone	mbai[a]ŋg; *ɸia[u]	ɸia	naɾak(ə); *baig	bajag	hia[u]	haiau, *hiau	hia	ia
skin		nikopi; *ko[j]ipo		ŋgusum		ugu
breast		jono	bub	toto		bub	abut
tree	nde	de	naukə	tae	de	de	de
man	anem	aneme	anem(ə)	anem	anem	anem
woman	anum	anumu	anum(ə)	anum	anum	anum		sau
sun		nowumu; *siwio	manom	kaia		katane
moon		bubei	manom			mandou	kam[e/o]
water		ogo	mau[g/k]ə	neia, *naia	adika	adeka	adika	maⁱ
fire	tae	maɸi; *ta[j]e	j[i]au	tae	tekaw	tekaw	teka
stone			didigə		seŋgV	ketaɾ; *seŋga	seŋgV	seŋgi
path		jigei	ewean			isas
name		jiga	gag	ij	[i/e]g[i/e]j	igij	[e][k/ɣ][e]
eat			tamu			ɣawi[ɣ]		bae
one	ija (?)	jaigio	ɣoɾ[e]a[u][k]	koapo	ija[kod]	ijako[d]; *ijakod
two	meas[i]	measi	mis			inah		[k/ɣ]aiaɣamat

External links

• Timothy Usher & Edgar Suter, New Guinea World, Proto–Fly River (see also reconstructions of branches)

Notes and References

1. Timothy Usher and Edgar Suter (2015) "The Anim Languages of Southern New Guinea". Oceanic Linguistics 54:110–142
2. Book: Evans, Nicholas . Palmer . Bill . 2018 . The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide . The languages of Southern New Guinea . The World of Linguistics . 4 . Berlin . De Gruyter Mouton . 641–774 . 978-3-11-028642-7.
3. Timothy Usher & Edgar Suter. Proto–Fly River. New Guinea World.