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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Asmat – Kamrau Bay languages are a family of a dozen Trans–New Guinea languages spoken by the Asmat and related peoples in southern Western New Guinea. They are believed to be a recent expansion along the south coast, as they are all closely related, and there is little differentiation in their pronouns.
Asmat–Kamrau | |
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Ethnicity | Asmat people etc. |
Geographic distribution | southern coast and Kamrau Bay of Indonesian New Guinea |
Linguistic classification | Trans–New Guinea
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Subdivisions |
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Glottolog | asma1256 |
![]() Map: The Asmat–Kamrau languages of New Guinea
The Asmat–Kamrau languages
Other Trans–New Guinea languages
Other Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Uninhabited |
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:[5]
m | n | ||
p | [t] | k | |
b | [d] | ɟ | ɡ |
[ɸ] | s | ||
w | r | j |
There is near complementary distribution between *p and *ɸ. *t and *d are marginal, appearing in only a few words. *r does not occur initially. There are no consonant clusters.
Vowels are *a *e *i *o *u.
Ross (2005) reconstructs the proto-Asmat–Kamoro pronouns as:
sg | pl | |
---|---|---|
1 | *no[ro] | *na[re] |
2 | *o[ro]/we[rV] | *ca[re] |
3 | *a[re] |
Usher (2020) reconstructs the free proto–Asmat–Kamrau Bay pronouns as:[5]
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Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:[5]
gloss | Proto-Asmat-Kamrau | Proto-Kamrau Bay | Proto-Asmat-Kamoro | Proto-Asmat | Proto-Muli Strait |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
head | *uɸu | *jebin | *ufu | *kowisi 'head/skull' | *ɣo̝p 'head/hair'; *uɔndVro̝m 'head/skull' |
hair | *ɸini | *ɸin | *fini | *ɸinV 'hair/feather(s)' | *sin |
ear | *jiɸ[a/o]ne | *jaɸ[a/o]m | *jafane | *jaɸane | *ie̝pær |
eye | *manaN | *manam | *mana | *mana | *musiɣ |
nose | *miC | *mik | *mi | *mi | *mæne̝ɣ 'nose/tip' |
tooth | *siC | *sik | *sisi | *sisV | *ziɣ |
tongue | *komane | *[a]mam | *komane | *komVne | *ndupæn |
foot/leg | *mawu | *mawu | *mawu | *mawi | *kaŋg 'leg' |
blood/red | *ese | *et | *ese | *ir 'blood' | |
fruit/seed/bone | *eake | *eke | *eake | ||
skin/bark | *ɸu | *pitini | *pitʲini | *par | |
breast | *awo | *awo | *awo | *abuɣ | |
louse | *amo | *om | *amo | *am | |
dog | *juwuɾi | *iwuɾ | *juwuri | *juwVɾi | *i[u]bui |
pig | *oɸo | *ok | *ofo | *up | |
bird | *geɟ | *sakV | |||
egg | *[a]sa | *asa | *sa | *sa | |
tree/wood | *ose | *o | *ose | *to̝ 'tree' | |
man/male | *bewu | *nam 'man/person' | |||
woman | *ɟawoɟa | *jawoɟa | *cawoca | *jipitʲi | *ie̝t 'woman/wife' |
sun | *jawu | *asi 'sun/day' | *jawu | *jawi | *zaua |
moon | *buɾa | *buɾa | *pura | *piɾa | *irind |
water | *m[oi/ui] | *moɟ | *mui | *mui | *mo̝i |
fire/firewood | *usa | *usa | *usa | *jusa | *ua[nd/r] 'fire' |
stone | *jeta | *eta | *j[e]ka | *mæte̝ | |
path | *matoC; *mak | *mato | |||
name | *uwase | *u | *uwase | *juwase | *ur |
eat/drink | *n[a]- | *n[a]- | *n[e/a] | *ne- | *no̝ku |
one | *ɟawa[kV] | *-ɟawa | *cawak[e/a] | *tʲawaka | |
two | *kaboma | *aboma | *kapoma; *jam[i/u]nV |
Proto-Asmat-Kamoro reflexes (Voorhoeve 2005)[6] of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma, as listed in Pawley & Hammarström (2018):[7]