Asmat languages
{{Short description|Trans–New Guinea language cluster}}
{{Infobox language family
| name = Asmat
| region = Asmat Regency and Mappi Regency, South Papua
| familycolor = Papuan
| fam1 = Trans–New Guinea
| fam2 = Asmat–Kamoro
| child1 = Casuarina Coast
| child2 = Citak
| child3 = North Asmat
| child4 = Central Asmat
| glotto = asma1257
| glottorefname = Asmat
}}
Asmat is a Papuan language cluster of South Papua.
Languages
The principal varieties, distinct enough to be considered separate languages, are:{{cite journal |url=https://www.langlxmelanesia.com/Usher%20Suter_Asmat-Muli_LLM%20Vol%2038%202020.pdf |journal=Language & Linguistics in Melanesia |volume=38 |date=2020 |issn=0023-1959 |title=The Asmat-Muli Languages of Southwestern New Guinea |first2=Edgar |last2=Suter |first1=Timothy |last1=Usher |publisher=Journal of the Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea |location=Port Moresby}}
{{tree list}}
- Asmat
- Kamrau Bay (Sabakor/Buruwai):[https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/asmat-muli-strait/asmat-kamrau-bay/kamrau-bay New Guinea World, Kamrau Bay]
- Casuarina Coast (Kaweinag), the most divergent
- North and Central Asmat
- Citak (Kaünak)
- North Asmat
- Central Asmat (dialects: Keenok, Sokoni, Keenakap, Kawenak)
{{tree list/end}}
Evolution
{{see also|Asmat–Kamrau languages#Evolution}}
Below are some reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea proposed by Pawley (2012):{{cite journal |last=Pawley |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Pawley |date=2012 |journal=History, Contact and Classification of Papuan Languages |issue=Language & Linguistics in Melanesia Special Issue 2012: Part I |issn=0023-1959 |publisher=Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea |location=Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |editor1-last=Hammarström |editor1-first=Harald |editor2-last=van den Heuvel |editor2-first=Wilco |title=How reconstructable is proto Trans New Guinea? Problems, progress, prospects |pages=88–164|hdl=1885/38602 }}
| class="wikitable sortable"
! proto-Trans-New Guinea !! Asmat (Flamingo Bay) | |
| *maŋgat[a] ‘teeth, mouth’ | me |
| *(m,mb)elak ‘light, lightning’ | mer |
| *niman ‘louse’ | (Kamoro namo) |
| *na- ‘eat’ | na- |
| *ni, *nu ‘{{gcl|1PL}}’ | na ‘{{gcl|1PL}}.{{gcl|INCL}}’, na(r) ‘{{gcl|1PL}}.{{gcl|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 ‘{{gcl|3SG}}’ | a |
Verbs
In Flamingo Bay Asmat, light verbs are combined with adjuncts to form predicative expressions.{{cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |author-link=William A. Foley |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The morphosyntactic typology of Papuan languages |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=895–938 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}
- 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
{{reflist}}
External links
- PARADISEC archive of [http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/search?language_code=asc Asmat language recordings]
- [https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/asmat-muli-strait/asmat-kamrau-bay/asmat-kamoro/asmat Asmat]. New Guinea World.
- [https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/asmat-muli-strait/asmat-kamrau-bay/kamrau-bay Kamrau Bay]. New Guinea World.
{{Central and South New Guinea languages}}
{{Languages of Indonesia}}