Kiwai language

Kiwai is a long/low island located on the Eastern side of the Southern entrance to the delta of the Fly River (Papua). The origin for the name Kiwai, is uncertain. The first occurrence of it, was in place names in "Dowdee" (Daudai).

Daudai was the chosen name that islanders of New Guinea, had given.

Male and Female have specific words that are indicated to them. An interesting thing, is that there are some words that indicate the gender. East Asian languages also has a gender system within their vocabulary too.

• 17 Letters
  • Represent sounds
  • The vowels are a, e, i, o, u
  • Diphthongs: ai, au
  • Consonants are k, g, t, d, n, p, b, m, s, v, r
  • Semivowel: w

1. Nouns
2. Adjectives
3. Pronouns
   1. Personal
   2. Relative
4. Interrogative words and particles
5. Verbs
6. Adverbs
7. Postpositions
8. Conjunctions
9. Interjections
10. Numerals
11. Syntax
12. Colloquial Phrases

There are a variety of different ways that nouns are used in the Kiwai language. Some of the derivations of nouns are primitive. Meaning, the words are not derived from anything previous. For example, just like in English, nouns and verbs can be related. The process of reduplication, within noun or verb, is also existent. Some nouns can be combined with two other nouns.

An important word in relation to nouns, is a gerund. A gerund is created from a verbal word-base by prefixing k-.

Adjectives will always precede a noun.

• Verbal Adjectives
• Negative Adjectives
• Interrogative Adjective
• Assertive Adjective
• Demonstrative Adjective
• Comparison of Adjectives

Personal pronouns indicate person and number

• Gender is not indicated
• Inclusive Person
• Exclusive Person
• Possession
• Relative Pronouns

Verbs are consisted of a "verbal word-base" in the Kiwai language. It is extended by suffixes and prefixes.

Verbal Word-Base: Verbal Word-Bases always begin and end with either a vowel, or a diphthong. It is the simplest form of a verb that is used in speech forms.

Syntax is the arrangement of words in order to create a well-structured sentence. For the Kiwai language, there are principal rules for the positioning of words.

1. The subject precedes verb/predicate
2. The D.O (direct object) precedes the verb, which then follows the subject
3. The word that modifies the subject/object precedes
4. Numerals precede nouns
5. Sometimes the extensions of the predicate precede the verb
6. If time is involved, the indications of time will normally appear at the beginning of a sentence
7. Infinitive phrases will appear at the end of sentences
8. Particles will precede the verb

• Numbers can be indicated by suffixes
  • Possible usage with/without the numerals
• Simple nouns have no numbers
• Few nouns have a separate plural form

There are six main dialects of this language.

1. Tureture
   1. By the mouth of the Binature River
2. Kiwai
   1. In the villages of Kiwai Island
   2. Has been adopted as the standard language for mission purposes in the Delta (By London Missionary Society)
3. Domori
   1. Island in the Fly Delta northwest of Kiwai
4. Wabuda
   1. Island between the Eastern mouth of the Fly and Bamu Delta
5. Sisiami
   1. Village on the Dibiri branch of the Bamu Delta
6. Goaribari
   1. Mouth of the Bamu Delta

Kiwai Dialects are different in terms of vocabulary. Grammar is also different, but not too much. However, it is still of the same linguistic group.

E. Baxter Riley, had collected words to be added in the Kiwai-English vocabulary. A lot of the texts and translations have been modified and added by S.H.R.

Verbal Forms: Verbs will be placed under the simple form of the word-base, under the five vowels (a,e,i,o,u). Compounds are followed immediately after. However some of the compounds will be located only under some prefixes. These prefixes being: ar, em, emar, emow, er, erem, im, imar, imow, ir, irim, iriw, irow, iw, iwar, or, oror, ow, owar, and owor. The word-base, will then be located by ignoring the following initial letters/syllables in words.

Below are some reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea proposed by Pawley (2012). The dialect given is Island Kiwai, unless otherwise indicated.[2]

proto-Trans-New Guinea	Kiwai (Island)
*tukumba[C] ‘short’	(?) kopu
*takVn[V] ‘moon’	sagana
*sumbu ‘white ashes’	tuwo
*pi(n,nd)a ‘sister’	abida
*niman ‘louse’	nimo
*ni ‘1PL’	ni(mo)
*mbena ‘arm’	(Kerewo Kiwai bena ‘shoulder’)
*mb(i,u)t(i,u)C ‘fingernail’	pitu
*maŋgat[a] ‘teeth, mouth’	mangota, magata
*m(i,u)ndu ‘nose’	wodi (Gope (N.E. Kiwai) modi)
*kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’	epuru, (Wabuda kepuru)
*kuk(a,u)m(o,u) ‘cold’	(Bamu kukamu, Sisiame kukamo)
*ka(nd,t)(e,i)kV ‘ear’	gare
*k(a,o]ndok[V] ‘foot’	Gope (N.E. Kiwai) oto, Morigi kota
*inja ‘tree, wood, fire’	(S. Kiwai era)
*amu ‘breast’	amo
*a(mb,m)u ‘tail’	(?) wapo
*(nd,s)umu(n,t)[V] ‘hair’	(?) muso (metathesis?)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_XeP9DxsKU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB3Co9ggY10
  • 2 hour long film: "The Jesus Film"

• A number of collections in Paradisec include Southern Kiwai materials