Telefol language

The Iligimin people also spoke Telefol, but they were defeated by the Telefol proper.{{cite news| url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3800/is_200704/ai_n19198593/pg_11/ | work=Human Organization | title=Ironies of Organization: Landowners, Land Registration, and Papua New Guinea's Mining and Petroleum Industry | first=Alex | last=Golub | year=2007}}

Single {{angbr|e}} and {{angbr|o}} represent both their single and long vowels, since they rarely contrast.

{{IPA|/b/}} is written {{angbr|p}} pre-consonantally and word-finally.

Single {{IPA|/k/}} is written {{angbr|g}} intervocalically, and {{IPA|/kk/}} is written {{angbr|k}} intervocalically.

{{IPA|/kd/}} and {{IPA|/ŋd/}} are written {{angbr|kg}} and {{angbr|ngg}} (since they're pronounced {{IPA|[ɡ]}} and {{IPA|[ŋɡ]}} respectively).

Initial {{IPA|/ɡ/}} is also written with {{angbr|g}} in loan words, e.g., {{lang|tlf|Got}} 'God'.

{{IPA|/ʔ/}} and {{IPA|/h/}} only appear in a few particles and some exclamations. {{IPA|/p/}} and {{IPA|/ɡ/}} only appear in a few loans.

There are two contrastive phonemic tones in Telefol, high and low. For example, {{lang|tlf|ùlín}} 'club' vs. {{lang|tlf|úlìn}} 'planted'.

{{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/eː/}}, {{IPA|/o/}} and {{IPA|/oː/}}, are nearly in complementary distribution. Also, single {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}} don't occur in one-syllable words or in terminal syllables.

Vowel length only contrasts in initial syllables. However, in initial syllables single {{IPA|/u/}} and {{IPA|/o/}}, and {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/e/}}, don't contrast.

Syllable structure is (C)V(ː)(C).{{cn|date=September 2024}}

{{IPA|/l/}} does not occur word-initially.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

{{IPA|/ŋ/}} is allowed in medial, but not word-initial, onsets.{{cite web|url=http://helios.hampshire.edu/~kfCS/papers/flack-prosodic-domain-edges-LSA.pdf |title=Phonotactic restrictions across prosodic domains |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905155646/http://helios.hampshire.edu/~kfCS/papers/flack-prosodic-domain-edges-LSA.pdf |archive-date=2008-09-05 |page=2}}

Telefol is a subject–object–verb language.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Telefol has a rich aspectual system.{{cite conference |url= http://www.uni-leipzig.de/exponet/mowl/Abstracts/Fedden.pdf |title= Aspectual stem distinctions in the Mian verb |page=1 |conference=Morphology of the World's Languages |date=June 11-13, 2009 |location=Leipzig}} Telefol verbs have "punctiliar" (momentary/completed) and "continuative" stems.{{sfn|Foley|1986|p=146}}

Telefol uses a base-27 counting system. This is mapped onto the body by counting each of the following: the left pinky to the left thumb (1-5); the wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder (6-10); the side of the neck, ear, and left eye (11-13); the nose (14); and similarly on the right side in reverse order, from the right eye to the right pinky (15-27).{{cite web |url=http://www.math.bas.bg/~iad/serafin.html#Telefol |title=Codex Seraphinianus: Some Observations |first=Ivan A |last=Derzhanski |date=29 September 2004 |website=Institute of Mathematics and Informatics |publisher=Bulgarian Academy of Sciences}}{{cite book |last=Laycock |first=Donald |author-link1=Donald Laycock |date=1975 |editor-last=Wurm |editor-first=Stephen |editor-link1=Stephen Wurm |series=Pacific Linguistics C-38 |title=New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study, I: Papuan Languages and the New Guinea Linguistic Scene |publisher=Canberra: Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University |pages=223 |chapter=Observations on Number Systems and Semantics}}

Telefol has dyadic kinship terms (terms referring to the relationship two or more people have to each other), which are uncommon in the world's languages and not prevalent in Papua New Guinea. However, they are a salient feature of the Ok languages. Related terms are found in Oksapmin, Mian, and Tifal.{{cite web |url=http://conferences.arts.usyd.edu.au/program.php?cf=19 |title=The Oksapmin Kinship System |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090920071406/http://conferences.arts.usyd.edu.au/program.php?cf=19 |archive-date=2009-09-20 |access-date=May 21, 2009}}

{{see also|Ok 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 }}

• Ok languages

• {{Cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |author-link=William A. Foley |title=The Papuan Languages of New Guinea |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1986 |isbn=0-521-28621-2 |location=Cambridge |oclc=13004531}}
• {{Cite web |last=Healey |first=Alan |date=September 1992 |title=Telefol Organised Phonology Data |url=http://www.sil.org/pacific/png/pubs/928474542410/Telefol.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022201455/http://www.sil.org/pacific/png/pubs/928474542410/Telefol.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-22}}
• {{Cite book |last=Healey |first=Alan |title=Studies in languages of the Ok family |publisher=Summer Institute of Linguistics |year=1974 |editor-last=Loving |editor-first=Richard |series=Workpapers in Papua New Guinea Languages |volume=7 |location=Ukarumpa |pages=167–175 |chapter=A problem of Telefol verb classification |chapter-url=https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/23795}}
• {{Cite book |last=Healey |first=Alan |title=Telefol phonology |publisher=Australian National University |year=1964 |series=Pacific Linguistics, Series B |volume=3 |location=Canberra |doi=10.15144/PL-B3}}

• [http://globalrecordings.net/language/528 Telefol on globalrecordings.net]
• [http://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_tlf WALS - Telefol]
• [http://www.sil.org/pacific/png/show_lang_entry.asp?id=tlf PNG Language Resources: Telefol information]
• Paradisec has [http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/search?language_code=tlf a number of collections that include Telefol language materials].

{{Languages of Papua New Guinea}}

{{Central and South New Guinea languages}}

Category:Languages of Sandaun Province

Category:Languages of Western Province (Papua New Guinea)

Category:Ok languages