Muyuw language explained

Muyuw
Region:Eastern New Guinea
Speakers:6,000
Date:1998
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Austronesian
Fam3:Oceanic
Fam4:Western Oceanic
Fam5:Papuan Tip
Fam6:Kilivila–Misima
Fam7:Kilivila
Iso3:myw
Glotto:muyu1244
Glottorefname:Muyuw

Muyuw language (Egum, Murua, Murua Dukwayasi, Murua Kaulae, Muruwa, Muyu, Muyua, Muyuwa) is one of the Kilivila–Louisiades languages (of the Austronesian language family), spoken on the Woodlark Islands, in the Solomon Sea within Papua New Guinea.

, the number of speakers is 6,000, 3,000 of whom are monolinguals. Speakers also use Dobu, Kilivila or Misima-Paneati. Latin script is used.

Dialects include Yanaba, Lougaw (Gawa), Wamwan, Nawyem, and Iwa. The Iwa dialect is transitional between Muyuw and Kilivila. Its lexical similarity with Kilivila is 68%.

Phonology

Phonology of the Muyuw language:[1]

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelar
plainlab.plainlab.
Plosivevoicelessptk
voicedbdɡɡʷ
Nasalm
Fricativevs
Laterall
Approximantwj

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closepronounced as /i/pronounced as /u/
Close-midpronounced as /e/pronounced as /o/
Open-midɛʌɔ
Openpronounced as /a/

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lithgow, Daphne & David. Muyuw language. Ukarumpa: Summer Institute of Linguistics. 1974. Dictionaries of Papua New Guinea, 1.; Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea.