Warembori language

Classification is in dispute. Mark Donohue thinks it is related to Yoke, forming together the Lower Mamberamo family. On a 200 word list, they share 33%. Also there are some grammar similarities. According to Donohue, Warembori is heavily influenced by Austronesian languages to the west, in both vocabulary and grammar, Yoke is less influenced by them. More recent researchers (Dunn & Reesink, Foley, Kamholz) have classified Warembori and Yoke as {{Not a typo|papuanised}} Austronesian languages.{{Cite book |last=Palmer |first=Bill |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1041880153 |title=The languages and linguistics of the New Guinea area : a comprehensive guide |date=2018 |others=Bill Palmer |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7 |location=Berlin |pages=13 |chapter=Language families of the New Guinea Area |oclc=1041880153}} Malcolm Ross leaves Yoke unclassified due to lack of data, apparently referring to the fact that Donohue did not publish independent pronouns in Yoke. He did publish subject prefixes on verbs, which are very similar to Warembori, and the singular prefixes are also remarkably similar to two Kwerba family languages, namely Kauwera and Airoran, suggesting either borrowing or a distant relationship to Kwerba, though the Kwerba family shares almost no vocabulary with the Lower Mamberamo family. The Lower Mamberamo plural prefixes are similar to Austronesian, as are the plural object suffixes and, at least in Warembori, plural independent pronouns.

The sequence {{IPA|/nk/}} is realized as {{IPA|[ŋɡ]}}.

The light voiced stops {{IPA|/b d/}} lenite to {{IPA|[β r]}} between vowels within a word. The heavy stops do not lenite.

When a nasal is followed by a heavy plosive, it is lengthened, i.e. {{IPA|/mˀb/ [mːb] /nˀd/ [nːd]}}. When not followed by a stop, heavy nasals are long and preceded by a glottal closure, i.e. {{IPA|/ˀm/ [ʔmː] /ˀn/ [ʔnː]}}. Heavy consonants also attract stress.

Some minimal pairs of heavy consonants are:{{cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |authorlink=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 languages of Northwest New Guinea |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=433–568 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}{{rp|502}}

• {{lang|wsa|bo}} 'mouth', {{lang|wsa|ˀbo}} 'thorn'
• {{lang|wsa|ane}} 'crocodile', {{lang|wsa|aˀne}} 'jungle'

{{Expand section|date=April 2011}}

The independent pronouns are:

The dual pronouns are derived from the plural via the infix {{angle bracket|u}}. This parallels the nearby Austronesian Cenderawasih languages, which derive the dual from the plural with {{lang|mis|du}} or {{lang|mis|ru}}, from {{lang|mis|*duSa}} 'two'. The plural pronouns {{lang|wsa|ami}}, {{lang|wsa|ki}}, {{lang|wsa|mi}}, {{lang|wsa|ti}}, in turn, appear to be Austronesian in origin, from {{lang|mis|*kami}}, {{lang|mis|*kita}}, {{lang|mis|*kamiu}}, {{lang|mis|*sida}} (the latter via {{lang|mis|**tira}}). Although 3sg {{lang|wsa|yi}} might also derive from Austronesian {{lang|mis|*ia}}, 1sg {{lang|wsa|iwi}} and 2sc {{lang|wsa|awi}}, the most basic pronouns, have no parallel in Austronesian. However, the basic pronouns {{lang|wsa|iwi}}, {{lang|wsa|awi}}, {{lang|wsa|yi}}, {{lang|wsa|ki}}, {{lang|wsa|mi}}, {{lang|wsa|ti}} resemble Yoke {{lang|yki|eβu}}, '{{lang|yki|aβu}}, {{lang|yki|iβu}}, {{lang|yki|kiβu}}, {{lang|yki|miβu}}, {{lang|yki|siβu}}'', illustrating the strong Austronesian influence on both languages.

Possessive prefixes on nouns are nearly identical to subject prefixes on verbs. The object suffixes are also similar; the paradigm is very close to that of Yoke, apart from an inclusive-exclusive distinction which is not completely grammaticalized in the case of possessives.

The singular prefixes of Warembori and Yoke are nearly identical to the 1sg e-, 2sg a-, 3sg i- of the Kwerba languages Kauwera and Airoran. However, Kwerba has no more basic vocabulary in common with the Lower Mamberamo family than what is expected by chance.

Warembori is written in a Latin alphabet based on the Indonesian. It represents phonetic, rather than phonemic, distinctions. In particular:

• {{IPA|/b/ [β]}} is written v
• {{IPA|/d/ [r]}} is written r
• {{IPA|/nk/ [ŋɡ]}} is written ngg

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Donohue |first=Mark |authorlink=Mark Donohue (linguist) |year=1999 |title=Warembori |others=Languages of the World/Materials 341 |location=München |publisher=Lincom Europa}}
• Rumaikewi, Luther, Lea Rumansao and Mark Donohue. 1998. Warembori Dictionary. Unpublished ms, University of Sydney.

• Donohue, 1998, [https://web.archive.org/web/20030918103622/http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellmd/warembori.html 'Warembori, and the Lower Mamberamo family']

{{Languages of Indonesia}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warembori Language}}

Category:Lower Mamberamo languages

Category:Languages of Western New Guinea