Lower Sepik languages
The Lower Sepik a.k.a. Nor–Pondo languages are a small language family of East Sepik Province in northern Papua New Guinea. They were identified as a family by K Laumann in 1951 under the name Nor–Pondo, and included in Donald Laycock's now-defunct 1973 Sepik–Ramu family.
| Lower Sepik | |
|---|---|
| Nor–Pondo | |
| Geographic distribution | East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea |
| Linguistic classification | a primary language family |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | lowe1423[1] |
 | |
Classification
The original conception of the family, under the name Nor–Pondo, is as follows:
| Nor–Pondo |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Malcolm Ross (2005) broke up the Nor branch (and thus renamed the family Lower Sepik) because Murik does not share the characteristic /p/s of the first- and second-person pronouns of Kopar and the Pondo languages, so the latter may form a group: Murik vs Kopar–Pondo. Ross classified Lower Sepik as one branch of a Ramu–Lower Sepik language family.
Foley (2005) tentatively proposes that Chambri and Angoram may be primary branches: Nor, Chambari, Karawari–Yimas, Angoram. Usher, following Foley, keeps Nor together and breaks up Pondo.[2] Neither accept the connection to Ramu.
Phonology
Except for Yimas-Karawari, Lower Sepik languages typically have the following six-vowel system.[5]
i u e ə o a
Yimas-Karawari has only four vowels.[5]
i u ə a
Proto-language
| Proto-Lower Sepik | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Lower Sepik languages |
Pronouns
The pronouns reconstructed for the proto-language are,
- Proto–Lower Sepik (Ross)
I *ama we two *ka-i, *ka-pia we few *(p)a-ŋk-i-t we all *a-i, *a-pia, *i-pi thou *nɨmi you two *ka-u, *ka-pua you few *(p)a-ŋk-u-t you all *a-u, *a-pu, *i-pu(a) s/he *mɨn they two *mɨnɨmp ? (M),
*mpɨ ? (F)they few *mɨŋkɨ-t they all *mump (M),
*pum (F)
- Proto-Nor–Pondo (Foley)
I *ama we two *ka-i, *ka-pa-i we few *(pa)ŋk-it we all *a-i, *a-pa-i, *(y)i-i, *(y)i-pa-i thou *mi you two *ka-u, *ka-pa-u you few *(pa)ŋk-ut you all *a-u, *a-pa-u, *(y)i-u, *(y)i-pa-u s/he *mən they two ? they few *mɨŋkɨ they all *mump ?
Lexicon
A phonological reconstruction of proto-Lower Sepik has been proposed by Foley (2005).[5] Foley's (2005) lexical reconstructions are provided below.
- Proto-Lower Sepik reconstructions by Foley (2005)
gloss proto-Lower Sepik Yimas Karawi Chambri Angrm Murik Kopar one *mb(w)ia- mpa- mba- mbwia- mbia- abe mbatep two *ri-pa- -rpal ripay -ri -(lɨ)par kobo kombari three *-ram -ramnaw -rianmaw -ram -elɨm keroŋgo keremɨŋ person *nor nar-maŋ yarmasɨnar noranan nor nor male *pon panmal panmari pondo puin woman *ŋay ŋay asay kaye nuŋor ŋai nana water *arɨm arɨm arɨm arɨm alɨm arɨm arɨm fire *awr awt awi ayɨr aluŋ awr awr sun tɨmal sɨmari sɨnmari mbwino akɨn akɨn moon *m(w)il ? mɨla tuŋkwi mwɨl mɨle karewan karep star awak suŋkwiɲcirim suŋgwi areɲjo moai kinaŋ canoe *kay kay kay ke ke gain kain house nam yam kurɨr nam iran indan village *num num imuŋka num num nomot numot breast *nɨŋgay nɨŋay ɲjay nɨŋke ŋge niŋgen niŋgin tooth *sisiŋk ? tɨrɨŋ sɨsɨŋ sraŋk sisiŋ asarap asirap blood *ya- yat yay yari ayakone yaran yuwaran bone *sariŋamp tanɨm tanɨm anamp salɨŋ sariŋib̩ sarekimp tongue *minɨŋ mɨɲɨŋ mumɨɲɨŋ tɨbulaniŋk mɨnɨŋ menɨŋ mimiŋ eye *tambri tuŋkuruŋ sampɨs sɨsiŋk tambli nabrin nambrin nose tɨkay ipun wambusu naŋɨm daur imbot leg *namuŋk pamuŋ pamuŋ namaŋk namuŋ namɨŋ hair wapwi wampi yawi mbwikmaley dwar ruar ear *kwand- kwantumuŋ kwandukas kukunam kwandum karekep kundot egg *awŋ awŋ yawŋ awŋk awŋ gaug awŋ leaf *nɨmpramp nɨmprɨm yimprɨm nɨmpramp namblum nabirɨk nɨmbiraŋ yesterday / tomorrow *ŋarɨŋ ŋarɨŋ arɨŋ namasɨnɨŋ nakɨmɨn ŋarɨŋ rari oar *(mɨ)naŋ muraŋ mɨnaŋ naŋk inap inaŋ naŋ betelnut *poruŋ patn payn muntɨkɨn parɨŋ porog puruŋ lime *awi(r) awi as ayɨr awer air air pig *numpran numpran impian numpran imbar nɨmbren nɨmbren crocodile manpa manpo ayi walami oramen uri snake *wakɨn wakɨn wakɨn wan paruŋ wakɨn ikun mosquito *naŋgun naŋkun yaŋkun naŋgun wawarɨn nauk nangɨt ground *andi anti anti nɨŋkrump andi agin andin feces *mɨndi mɨlɨm mɨnti muɲjar mɨndi mɨndɨn mɨndɨ hear *and- andɨ andu andɨ andɨ dɨn nda hit *di tupul kurar dɨɨ ti di nɨŋ eat *am(b) am(b) am(b) am(b) am(b) mɨn ma go *wa wa kuria kal wa on wa come *ya ya kurapia ya ya ya ya sit *sa tay sa nda sa nda big *kupa kɨpa kupa wupa kupa apo kapu cold *sarV- tarɨk sarɨk saruk popant sarapakin
For comparisons with the language isolate Tayap, see Tayap language#Classification.
Footnotes
- Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Lower Sepik". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- NewGuineaWorld - Lower Sepik River
- Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
- Lower Sepik River, New Guinea World
- Foley, William A. (2005). "Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik-Ramu basin". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 109–144. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.
Further reading
 |
Wiktionary has a list of reconstructed forms at Appendix:Proto-Lower Sepik reconstructions |
- Proto-Lower-Sepik. TransNewGuinea.org. From (1) Foley, W.A. 1986. The Papuan languages of New Guinea, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ; (2) Foley, W.A. 1986. The Papuan languages of New Guinea, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
References
- Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.