Asmat is a Papuan language cluster of South Papua.

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Ethnicity ...
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Languages

The principal varieties, distinct enough to be considered separate languages, are:[1]

Ethnically, speakers are either Asmat or Citak.

Evolution

Below are some reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea proposed by Pawley (2012):[3]

More information proto-Trans-New Guinea ...
proto-Trans-New GuineaAsmat (Flamingo Bay)
*maŋgat[a] ‘teeth, mouth’me
*(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’mer
*niman ‘louse’(Kamoro namo)
*na- ‘eat’na-
*ni, *nu ‘1PLna ‘1PL.INCL’, na(r) ‘1PL.EXCL
*mun(a,i,u)ka ‘egg’manaka
*niman ‘louse’(cf. Kamoro namo)
*kasin ‘mosquito’isi
*mbena ‘arm’man [ban]
*mb(i,u)t(i,u)C ‘fingernail’fit
*imbi ‘name’yipi
*si(mb,p)at[V] ‘saliva’(me)sep
*(mb,p)ututu- ‘to fly’(?) pimedial
*kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’kuwus
*inda ‘fire’(Central Coast Asmat isi)
*tututu[ku] ‘straight’toror
*k(i,u)tuma ‘night, morning’iram
*tututu[ku] ‘straight’toror
*ti, *titi ‘tooth’ji
*ata ‘excrement’asa
*(ŋg,k)atata ‘dry’soso
*kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’kuwus
*kasin ‘mosquito’(Citak Asmat isi)
*inda ‘fire’(Central Coast Asmat isi)
*ke(nj,s)a ‘blood’es
*maŋgV ‘compact round object’moko-per ‘navel’
*mun(a,i,u)ka ‘egg’manaka
*ke(nj,s)a ‘blood’es
*kasin ‘mosquito’(Central Asmat isi)
*k(i,u)tuma ‘night, morning’yiram
*kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’kuwus
*(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’(Flamingo Bay Asmat mer ‘lightning’)
*ya ‘3SGa
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Verbs

In Flamingo Bay Asmat, light verbs are combined with adjuncts to form predicative expressions.[4]

  • e- ‘do’
    • atow e- /play do/ ‘play’
    • caj e- /copulate do/ ‘copulate’
    • yan e- /ear do/ ‘listen’
  • yi- ‘say’
    • po yi- /paddle say/ ‘paddle’
    • yan yi- /ear say/ ‘hear’
    • mesa yi- /saliva say/ ‘spit’
  • af- ‘hit’
    • yaki af- /sneeze hit/ ‘sneeze’
    • namir af- /death hit/ ‘die’
    • omop af- /blow hit/ ‘beat’

References

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