Selepet language explained

Selepet
States:	Papua New Guinea
Region:	Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province
Date:	2000 census
Ref:	e25
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Trans–New Guinea
Fam2:	Finisterre–Huon
Fam3:	Huon
Fam4:	Western Huon
Iso3:	spl
Glotto:	sele1250
Glottorefname:	Selepet

Selepet (or Selepe)^[1] is a Papuan language spoken in Selepet Rural LLG, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.

Evolution

Below are some reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea proposed by Pawley (2012):^[2]

	Selepet
masi ‘orphan’	madu
me(n,t)e ‘head’	mete ‘forehead’
mV(k,ŋ)V[C] + t(e,i)- ‘vomit’	mohat (cf. Nomu mekat ‘spittle’, Timbe mugat ‘be sick’)
mVn[a]-‘be, live, stay’	man- ‘live, dwell’
mo ‘penis’	mɔi
(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’	belek
kumV- ‘die’	(cf. Burum kɔmu-)
iman ‘louse’	imen
(s,nd)umu(n,t)[V] ‘hair’	somot
amu ‘breast’	(n)am ‘breast, milk’
am(a,i) ‘mother’	(?) (m)ɔmɔ
na- ‘eat’	ne-
nVŋg- ‘know, hear, see’	nɔgɔ- ‘hear, know, listen to s.t.’
ni ‘1PL free pronoun’	ne(n) ‘1PL’, ne(t) ‘1DL’
n[e]i ‘bird’	nɔi
kan(a,e)ne ‘left (side)’	kane
mVn[a]-‘be, live, stay’	man- ‘live, dwell’
mbena ‘arm’	bɔt
kani ‘foot’	kɔi
iman ‘louse’	imen
-Vn ‘1SGsubj agrmt’	-an ‘1SG, 1PL’
ŋaŋ[a] ‘baby’	ŋaŋa
mbalaŋ ‘flame’	balam
mbilaŋ ‘tongue’	ni-bilam
sa(ŋg,k)asiŋ ‘sand’	sak
mbalaŋ ‘flame’	balam
mbilaŋ ‘tongue’	[ni]bilim
mbena ‘arm’	(?) bot
mbulikV ‘turn (oneself)’	purik (sɔ-)
imbi ‘name’	ibi
sambV ‘cloud’	hibim ‘sky’
ambi ‘man’	(?) ibi ‘woman’
simb(i,u) ‘guts’	tep- ‘stomach, intestines’
si(mb,p)at[V] ‘saliva’	(Sialum sawat, Migabac sofoʔ, Nomu sowot)
kutV(mb,p)(a,u)[C] ‘long’	kɔlip
kambu ‘ashes’	kɔu
kend(o,u)p ‘fire’	kɔlɔp
nde- ‘speak’	sɔmedial
kend(o,u)p ‘fire’	kɔlɔp
ka(nd,t)(e,i)kV ‘ear’	(?) ɔndɔp (prob. a loanword. Suter (p.c.) reconstructs pHuon Peninsula *kazap ‘ear’)
tVk- ‘cut, cut off’	tok [yap] ‘snap, break’
kutV(mb,p)(a,u)[C] ‘long’	kɔlip
kVtak ‘new’	irak
(s,nd)umu(n,t)[V] ‘hair’	somot
sa(ŋg,k)asin ‘sand’	sak
(s,nd)umu(n,t)[V] ‘hair’	somot
si(mb,p)at[V] ‘saliva’	(Sialum sawat, Migabac sofoʔ, Nomu sowot)
simb(i,u) ‘guts’	(?) tep- ‘stomach, intestines’
sambV ‘cloud’, ‘sky’	hibim ‘sky’
masi ‘orphan’	madu
nj(a,e,i)- ‘burn’	si
ŋga ‘2SG’	ga
nVŋg- ‘know, hear, see’	nɔgɔ- ‘hear, know, listen to s.t.’
kend(o,u)p ‘fire’	kɔlɔp
kakV- ‘carry on shoulder’	kaku-
kutV(mb,p)(a,u)[C] ‘long’	kalip
kambu ‘ashes’	kɔu
kakV- ‘carry on shoulder’	kaku-
mbulikV ‘turn (oneself)’	purik
sa(ŋg,k)asin ‘sand’	sak
mV(k,ŋ)V[C] + t(e,i)- ‘vomit’	mohat (Nomu mekat ‘spittle’, Timbe mugat ‘be sick’)
kVtak ‘new’	irak
(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’	belek ‘lightning’
ok[V] ‘water’	(?) (gel-)ok ‘rain’
mbalaŋ ‘flame’	balam
(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’	belek
mbilaŋ ‘tongue’	ni-bilam
mbulikV ‘turn (oneself)’	purik

Notes and References

1. Web site: OLAC resources in and about the Selepet language . 2024-01-22 . www.language-archives.org.
2. 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 .