Fas languages
{{Short description|Language family}}
{{Infobox language family
|name=Fas
|altname=Baibai–Momu
|region=Papua New Guinea
|familycolor=Papuan
|fam1=Kwomtari–Fas?
Northwest Papuan?
|child1=Fas (Momu)
|child2=Baibai
|map=Kwomtari-Fas languages.png
|mapcaption=The neighboring Fas and Kwomtari language families
|glotto=baib1250
|glottorefname=Baibai–Fas
}}
The Fas languages are a small language family of Papua New Guinea.
Classification
Despite the fact that the family consists of just two closely related languages, Baibai and Fas (40% cognate), there has been considerable confusion over its membership, apparently due to a misalignment in the publication (Loving & Bass 1964) of the data used for the initial classification. (See Baron 1983.) The initial name of the family was Fas, but Laycock (1975) changed it to Baibai when he mistakenly moved the Fas language to the Kwomtari family, an error perpetuated in much of the literature. Baibai (Baibai and Biaka) is therefore not a synonym for the Fas family (Baibai and Fas). See Kwomtari–Fas languages for details.
A few regular sound correspondences are apparent (Baron 1983:21 ff):
| class="wikitable" |
| correspondence || Fas example || Baibai example || Gloss |
|---|
| *mb → ʙ, mb
| mɛʙəkɛ || mɛmbəkɛ || "star" |
| *nd → k, ɾ
| kəmas || ɾəmas || "bow" |
| k–f metathesis*
| kafəki || ɾaɾəfi || "tobacco" |
| *k → zero, *k
| kɛj || ɾɛɡi || "hand" (< *ɾɛki) |
The odd change from *nd to /k/ (via *hr) has also occurred in the Bewani languages and some of the Vanimo languages.
Baron sees no evidence that the similarities between the Fas and Kwomtari families are any greater than with neighboring unrelated families, and thus doubts the validity of the putative Kwomtari–Fas family.
Phonological features
Two papers were published by Wietze Baron (1979, 1983a) on the phonology of Fas. Baron argued that the phonological processes of Fas contradict claims by proponents of Natural Generative Phonology that Paul Kiparsky's Opacity Principle allowed no exceptions. See Optimality theory for later developments in phonological theory. Further papers are posted on his website. Recently an honours thesis by Fiona Blake (University of Sydney) has also been posted on the web; she refers to Fas as Momu.
The Fas language apparently has a seven-vowel system. It also has a bilabial trill {{IPA|[ʙ]}} (Baron 1979:95), even though Laycock (1975:854) had expressed his doubts about earlier reports of this feature by Capell (1962).
Proto-language
Some lexical reconstructions of Proto-Baibai-Momu (i.e., Proto-Fas) by Usher (2020) are:Usher, Timothy. 2020.[https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/northwest-new-guinea/baibai-momu Baibai-Momu]. New Guinea World.
:
| class="wikitable sortable"
! gloss !! Proto-Baibai-Momu | |
| older brother | *apɛ |
| name | *ambu |
| smoke | *mVsV |
| star | *mɛmbVkɛ |
| mother (addressing) | *mɛ |
| flying fox | *mɛnɛ |
| net bag | *man |
| shoulder | *mandVɸV |
| woman | *mɔŋgɔ |
| water/river | *ɸi |
| salt | *ɸVn[ɛ] |
| breast/milk | *ɸVki |
| house | *ɸVndV |
| axe | *tɔmakɔ |
| liver | *tVtV |
| hand | *ndɛŋgi |
| know | *ndam... |
| tobacco | *ndandVɸi |
| fire | *ndɔa |
| bow | *ndVmas |
| many | *ndɔambɔ |
| fat/grease | *sVmbu |
| black | *sVŋgarɔ |
| bird-of-paradise sp. | *sujakɛ |
| eye | *kVri |
| axe | *ŋgambɛ |
| areca nut | *ŋgVmVsV |
| earth/ground | *ŋgVndV |
| egg | *handɔ |
| 2 sg. | *[h]aŋgi |
| skin | *hVraɔ |
| moon | *wVsi |
| 3 sg. | *wɔ |
| stone | *wɔneŋgrɛ |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite journal |last=Baron |first=Wietze |year=1979 |title=Light from the dark ages of Chomsky and Halle's 'Abstract phonology' |journal=Kivung |volume=12 |pages=89–96 |oclc=9188672 }}
- {{cite journal |last=Baron |first=Wietze |year=1983a |title=Cases of counter-feeding in Fas |journal=Language and Linguistics in Melanesia |volume=14 |pages=138–149|oclc=9188672 }}
- {{cite journal |last=Baron |first=Wietze |year=1983b |title=Kwomtari survey}}, posted at: [http://www.kwomtari.net/kwomtari_survey.pdf]
- Blake, Fiona. 2007. 'Spatial reference in Momu'. Posted at [http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1919]
- {{cite book |first=Donald C. |last=Laycock |author-link=Donald Laycock |year=1975 |chapter=Sko, Kwomtari, and Left May (Arai) phyla |editor=Stephen A. Wurm |editor-link=Stephen Wurm |title=Papuan languages and the New Guinea linguistic scene: New Guinea area languages and language study 1 |location=Canberra |publisher=Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |pages=849–858 |oclc=37096514 }}
- {{cite book |last=Loving |first=Richard |author2=Jack Bass |year=1964 |title=Languages of the Amanab sub-district |location=Port Moresby |publisher=Department of Information and Extension Services |oclc=17101737 }}
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/northwest-new-guinea/baibai-momu Baibai-Momu]. New Guinea World.
{{Papuan languages}}
{{language families}}