Urim language explained

Urim language should not be confused with Urimo language.

Urim
States:	Papua New Guinea
Region:	East Sepik Province, Sandaun Province
Date:	2003
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Torricelli
Fam2:	Urim
Iso3:	uri
Glotto:	urim1252
Glottorefname:	Urim

Urim is a Torricelli language of Papua New Guinea. It is also known as Kalp; dialects are Kukwo, Yangkolen. There is a grammatical description by Hemmilä and Luoma (2009).^[1]

Phonology

Urim has vowel length contrast, but only for monosyllabic words. Urim also has the prestopped nasals /pm/, /tn/, and /kŋ/.

Urim minimal pairs with short and long vowels:

• ‘time’, ‘tree trunk’
• ‘wild sago’, ‘outside’

Pre-stopped nasals contrast with non-pre-stopped nasals:

• ‘species of plant’, waŋ ‘time’, ‘fire’
• ‘enough’, yan ‘father’, ‘walk’
• ‘nose’, ‘you (pl)’
• ‘wasp’, ‘earthquake’, ‘liver’

Pronouns

Pronouns are:^[2]

	singular	dual		plural
1incl				mentepm
1excl	kupm	mentakŋ	minto	men
2	kitn	kipmekŋ	kipmteŋ	kipm
3	kil	tuwekŋ	tuteŋ	tu

Like the Lower Sepik-Ramu languages, Urim (as well as Kombio) distinguishes dual and paucal pronouns.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Hemmilä, Ritva, and Luoma, Pirkko. 2009. Urim grammar. http://www.sil.org/pacific/png/abstract.asp?id=52255
2. Book: Foley, William A. . Palmer . Bill . 2018 . The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide . The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs . The World of Linguistics . 4 . Berlin . De Gruyter Mouton . 197–432 . 978-3-11-028642-7.