Tama languages
{{Short description|Small family of languages of northern Papua New Guinea}}
{{For|the languages of Sudan|Taman languages}}
{{Infobox language family
|name=Tama
|region=Sepik River basin, Papua New Guinea: just to the south of Nuku town in eastern Sandaun Province
|familycolor=Papuan
|fam1=Sepik
|fam2=Middle Sepik
|map=Sepik_as_classified_by_William_A._Foley.svg
|mapcaption=The Sepik languages as classified by Foley (2018)
|glotto=sepi1256
|glottorefname=Sepik Tama
}}
The Tama languages are a small family of three clusters of closely related languages of northern Papua New Guinea, spoken just to the south of Nuku town in eastern Sandaun Province. They are classified as subgroup of the Sepik languages. Tama is the word for 'man' in the languages that make up this group.
Yessan-Mayo and Mehek are the best documented Tama languages.
Languages
Usher (2020) classifies the Tama languages as follows,[https://sites.google.com/site/newguineaworld/families/sepik-river/middle-sepik-river/ma-tama/tama Tama], New Guinea World
;Tama
Foley (2018), following Donald Laycock, provides the following classification.{{cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=197–432 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}
;Tama
Kalou is actually related to Amal.[https://sites.google.com/site/newguineaworld/families/sepik-river/upper-sepik-river/yellow-and-wanibe-rivers/amal-kalou Amal–Kalou], New Guinea World
Phonology
The Tama languages distinguish /r/ and /l/, unlike many other Papuan languages that have only one liquid consonant.
Vocabulary comparison
The following basic vocabulary words are from Laycock (1968),Laycock, Donald C. 1968. Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66. as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.{{Cite web |url=http://transnewguinea.org/family/sepik |title=TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea |last=Greenhill |first=Simon |date=2016| access-date=2020-11-05}}
The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. suwa, huwa for “leg”) or not (e.g. namra, wapray for “eye”).
:
| class="wikitable sortable"
! gloss !! Mehek !! Pahi !! Yessan-MayoFoley, W.A. "Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik-Ramu basin". In Pawley, A., Attenborough, R., Golson, J. and Hide, R. editors, Papuan Pasts: Cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. PL-572:109-144. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 2005. !! Yessan-Mayo (Warasai dialect) |
| head
| terfa || taraʔwey || tara || |
|---|
| ear
| namra || wapray || wan || wan |
| eye
| lakwo || niaʔwey || la; lə || la |
| nose
| wiliŋki || fikihinwi || raŋkɨ; raŋki || haŋki |
| tooth
| mpi || piaʔwey || lər; lir || rir |
| tongue
| tawul || tafəki || tawlə || kawul |
| leg
| suwa || huwa || towa; warə || sowa |
| louse
| nunum || nunum || nɨ; ni || niʔ |
| dog
| wala || waʔay || wala || wale |
| pig
| || || for || |
| bird
| fenre || feydey || ap || apu |
| egg
| lakwo || yaʔwey || yen; yɨn || yan |
| blood
| kefu || nefum || nap || nap |
| bone
| yefa || yefa || yaha || |
| skin
| liki || fuhum || was || |
| breast
| muku || muwi || mu; mukw || mukw |
| tree
| moː || muy || me || meʔ |
| man
| tama || tama || tama; tamə || kama |
| woman
| tawa || tawa || taː || ka |
| sun
| nampul || napuy || yabəl; yampəl || yampəl |
| moon
| nekwa || nefʔa || lup; lɨyf || lüp |
| water
| okwu || oʔwi || ok; okw || okw |
| fire
| kiri || irʔi || k-er; kər || kər |
| stone
| arkwo || hijopey || pa || papə |
| eat
| || || a(m) || |
| one
| || || wurɨ || |
| two
| lisifu || || fes || kes |
References
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
- {{Malcolm Ross Pronouns}}
{{refend}}
{{Sepik languages}}