Left May languages
The Left May or Arai languages are a small language family of half a dozen closely related but not mutually intelligible languages in the centre of New Guinea, in the watershed of the Left May River. There are only about 2,000 speakers in all. Foley (2018) classifies them separately as an independent language family,[1] while Usher (2020) links them with the Amto–Musan languages.[2]
| Left May | |
|---|---|
| Arai | |
| Geographic distribution | Left May River, eastern Sandaun Province and western East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea |
| Linguistic classification | Arai–Samaia or independent language family
|
| Glottolog | left1242 |
The Left May languages are spoken at the extreme western end of East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.
Classification
Foley (2018) provides the following classification.[1]
- Left May family
Iteri and Bo are closely related to each other.
Usher (2020) does not recognize a primary western branch, and distinguishes more languages.[3]
- Arai River family
- Ama
- Nimo–Nakwi
- Owiniga
- West Arai River
- Bo
- Iteri – Rocky Peak
External relationships
Malcolm Ross (2005) linked the Left May languages to Laycock's Kwomtari–Baibai languages in a Left May – Kwomtari family, based on similarities in the pronouns of Rocky Peak. However, he had not corrected for Laycock's errors in classification, and it is not clear if the links are with the Kwomtari or Fas languages.
Timothy Usher links the Left May languages to their neighbors, the Amto–Musan languages and the Pyu language in as Arai–Samaia stock.[2] However, Foley (2018) attributes lexical similarities between the Left May and Amto-Musan families to contact, rather than genetic relationship.[1]
Foley (2018) notes that typologically, the Left May languages are highly different from the other language families of the Sepik-Ramu basin, instead resembling the Trans-New Guinea somewhat more closely. For example, Left May and Trans-New Guinea languages typically all have ergative case markers, which most languages of the Sepik-Ramu basin do not have except for a few such as the isolate Taiap. Nevertheless, Left May and Trans-New Guinea speakers have historically been hostile towards each other (unlike their close trade relationships with Amto-Musan speakers), so there has been no recent contact scenarios to speak of. These typological similarities could be due to chance, ancient contact, or perhaps even a deep genetic relationship.[1]
Vocabulary comparison
The following basic vocabulary words are from Conrad & Dye (1975)[4] and various SIL resources, as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[5]
gloss Ama Bo Iteri (Rocky Peak dialect) Iteri Nimo Owiniga head kamu; 'kaːmũ kʌmi ʔɛmi ʔami; ʔa'm̀i kɛmɛ; 'kɛmɛh hair kamusowa; 'kaːmũsuɒ kʌmsiya ʔɛmisu ami ʔamiso; ʔami'sò 'kamo; kɛmo ear i'ɒː; ʔia kɔ ʔo æu ɔ; ʔɔ iso; is̯o; i'só eye mʝɒː; mʌřa mʌǏo ᵽogwa mɔ; moh 'mǒro; mořo nose amu; 'aːmũ ki ʔɩmodʋ imuř ʔimʌ tɛmɛři; tə'mʌ́li tooth iː ki ʔe ɩ imɛři; i'mʌli tongue isauna; i'saːunɔ̃ lɛsɛ lɛtɛ isaːbe; isaːpe isɩ; ise leg 'ɸeʌu feřǽ louse ʔani; ʌ'nĩː ka ʔɔ æ amiᶗ; ʔamiyo eni; kemo; tařap̶úmwaino dog aǏuou; ʌʝɔ'wɔːu naři so soʔ ʔau; ʔauh bɛlɩ; bɛři pig ᵽu; ʍuː ᵽu ᵽu hwusu ᵽu kebaře; kebáře bird o; oː wɔ wo waři wʌ; 'ẃəli be; mbɛh; ya egg oː iː; ʔui wɔi ʔabotɩno woi i; sáːviya bene; mɛřɛfi; mɛřɛri; pe'dana blood 'nãːkɒ; nakʌʔ kwo wo woʔ iwʌ ke; takona bone miː; mĩː mutuk moto ᵽʋmoto mi miři; nom skin au; 'tɔːnɔ̃ tʌpɔ dɛbo nae abu; ʔi'nʌ̀ fɛřæ; fɛřai; numə'řài; sepe breast nanʌ; 'nãːnɔ̃ nɔ nʋ nou nɔ 'náinoh; nano tree ãː; ʔą ka ʔa ąʔ a; ʔa a; ʔaː man nʌ̃'kɒː; nʌka nʌkʌ no nau nɔː; nɔno 'sámo nəgaina; 'nɛ́ka; nʌga; nʌgaina woman mwi; nə̃'nĩː; nʌkʌǏaǏa kwa uwa; ʔwa nią; nià 'sámo 'níboh; nini sun o'ʝɒː 'húanota beřa; mbɛ'lah moon ʌ'mũː ʔi'ḿʌ 'fonai; fořai water i'wɒː; ʔiwa ʔu ʔu u wi; ʔwi bi; ʔmi fire taː; tah ta yɛyʋ ta sa; sah stone tɛmʌkiʔ; tʌmʌ̃'kiː tʌpʌki tʌbe masɩ tə'pái; tʌpei sia; si'yà; sya road, path mʝɒː; mʌǏa keři; kʌři ʔæliwi ʌři áři; ařiI maǥamář; meřeb̶i; mɛ'řiƀi name 'siːʌʝɔ eat napʌna; tə'nɔ̃ː sanoʔ wɛno pano; 'yʌ́no 'sáno epepeki; siyunò; tauna one siasʌ; 'siːʌsɔ sɔsɔ sʋso susæsæ siʌesʌ; 'síyasə ya'liƀuh; yəvyaro; yʌřu two tiwe; 'tiːwei tisʌ tiso lisæʔ tiː; tiĩ si'máƀi; simʌbi; siməbi
See also
References
- 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.
- NewGuineaWorld, Arai and Samaia Rivers
- NGW, Arai River
- Conrad, R. and Dye, W. "Some Language Relationships in the Upper Sepik Region of Papua New Guinea". In Conrad, R., Dye, W., Thomson, N. and Bruce Jr., L. editors, Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 18. A-40:1-36. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1975. doi:10.15144/PL-A40.1
- Greenhill, Simon (2016). "TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea". Retrieved 2020-11-05.
- Laycock, Donald C. (1973). Sepik languages: checklist and preliminary classification. Canberra: Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-85883-084-4. OCLC 5027628.
- Laycock, Donald C. (1975). "Sko, Kwomtari, and Left May (Arai) phyla". In Stephen A. Wurm (ed.). Papuan languages and the New Guinea linguistic scene: New Guinea area languages and language study 1. Canberra: Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. pp. 849–858. OCLC 37096514.
- 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.