Middle Sepik languages
The Middle Sepik languages comprise diverse groups of Sepik languages spoken in northern Papua New Guinea. The Middle Sepik grouping is provisionally accepted by Foley (2018) based on shared innovations in pronouns, but is split up by Glottolog. They are spoken in areas surrounding the town of Ambunti in East Sepik Province.
| Middle Sepik | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | East Sepik Province, in the Sepik River basin of Papua New Guinea |
| Linguistic classification | Sepik
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | None |
 The Sepik languages as classified by Foley (2018) | |
Unlike most other Sepik languages, Middle Sepik languages do not overtly mark gender on nouns, although the third-person singular pronoun does distinguish between masculine and feminine genders (e.g., Proto-Ndu *nd- ‘3sg.m’ and *l- ‘3sg.f’).[1]
Languages
The languages are:[2]
- Ma–Tama
- Nukuma languages (see)
- Tama languages (see)
- Ndu–Yerekai
- Ndu–Nggala
- Nggala
- Ndu languages (see)
- Yerakai (Garamambu)
- Ndu–Nggala
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.
- Middle Sepik River, NewGuineaWorld
- 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.
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