Nama language (Papuan)
{{Short description|Yam language of Papua New Guinea}}
{{Distinguish|Nama language|Nema language}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Nama
|region=Western Province (Papua New Guinea)
|speakers= 1,200
|date = 2018
|ref = e24
|familycolor=Papuan
|fam1=Yam
|fam2=Nambu
|iso3=nmx
|glotto=nama1266
|glottorefname=Nama (Papua New Guinea)
}}
Nama (or Noraia) is a Yam language spoken in Western Province, Papua New Guinea.
Phonology
= Consonants =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ! colspan="2" |Labial ! rowspan="2" |Alveolar ! rowspan="2" |Post- ! rowspan="2" |Palatal ! colspan="2" |Velar |
| plain
!lab. !plain !lab. |
|---|
| colspan="2" |Nasal
|m |mʷ |n | |ɲ | colspan="2" |ŋ |
| rowspan="3" |Plosive/ Affricate !voiceless | colspan="2" |(p) |t | | |k |kʷ |
| voiced
| colspan="2" |b |d |d͡ʒ | |ɡ |(ɡʷ) |
| prenasal
|ᵐb |ᵐbʷ |ⁿd |ⁿd͡ʒ | |ᵑɡ |ᵑɡʷ |
| colspan="2" |Fricative
|ɸ |ɸʷ |s | | | colspan="2" |ɣ |
| colspan="2" |Rhotic
| colspan="2" | |r | | | colspan="2" | |
| colspan="2" |Lateral
| colspan="2" | |l | | | colspan="2" | |
| colspan="2" |Approximant
| colspan="2" | | | |j | colspan="2" |w |
- Sounds /p/ and /ɡʷ/ only occur marginally[elaboration needed].
- Sounds /t, d, ⁿd/ may range in articulation, varying from dental [t̪, d̪, ⁿd̪] to alveolar [t, d, ⁿd].
- /r/ can be heard as a tap [ɾ] when in rapid speech and in consonant clusters.
- /ɸ/ can become voiced as [β] when intervocalically or word-finally.
- /ɣ/ can also be heard as [ɰ] in some contexts[what contexts?].
- Sounds /n, r/ can occur as geminates [nː, rː].
= Vowels =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! ! colspan="2" |Front !Back |
| align="center"
|i |y | |u |
| Near-close
| colspan="2" |ɪ | | |
|---|
| align="center"
!Mid |e |ø |ə |o |
| Near-open
| colspan="2" |æ | | |
| align="center"
!Open | colspan="2" | |a | |
- Sounds /i, o, u/ can be heard as [ɪ], [ɔ], [ʊ, ʉ] within diphthongs.{{Cite book |last=Siegel |first=Jeff |title=A Grammar of Nama: A Papuan Language of Southern New Guinea |publisher=De Gruyter |year=2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Yam languages}}
{{Languages of Papua New Guinea}}