Wogamus languages
{{Infobox language family
|name=Wogamus
|region=Wogamush River, western East Sepik Province, in the Upper Sepik River basin of Papua New Guinea
|familycolor=Papuan
|fam1=Sepik
|fam2=Middle Sepik
|fam3=Tama
|glotto=woga1248
|glottorefname=Wogamusin-Chenapian
}}
The Wogamus languages are a pair of closely related languages, Wogamusin and Chenapian.[https://sites.google.com/site/newguineaworld/families/sepik-river/middle-sepik-river/ma-tama/tama/chenapian-wogamusin Chenapian–Wogamusin], New Guinea World
They are classified among the Sepik languages of northern Papua New Guinea; Malcolm Ross and William A. Foley (2018){{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}} place them in the Upper Sepik branch of that family.
The Wogamus languages are spoken along the banks of the Wogamush River and Sepik River in western East Sepik Province, just to the east of the Iwam languages.
Noun classes
Wogamus languages have noun classes reminiscent of those found in Bantu languages. Noun classes in Wogamusin and Chenapian are listed below, with Wogamusin - {{lang|wog|um}} 'three' and Chenapian - {{lang|cjn|mu}} 'three' used as examples.
:
| {{table}}
! Class no. !! Semantic category !! Wogamusin prefix !! Chenapian prefix !! Wogamusin example !! Chenapian example |
| 1
| humans || {{lang|wog|s(i)-}} || {{lang|cjn|s(i)-}} || {{lang|wog|s-um}} || {{lang|cjn|si-mu}} |
|---|
| 2
| higher animals: dogs, pigs, etc. || {{lang|wog|r-}} || {{lang|cjn|gw-}} || {{lang|wog|r-um}} || {{lang|cjn|gw-umu}} |
| 3
| plants, trees, vines, etc. || {{lang|wog|b-}} || {{lang|cjn|b-}} || {{lang|wog|b-um}} || {{lang|cjn|b-umu}} |
| 4
| no specific pattern || {{lang|wog|h-}} || {{lang|cjn|n-}} || {{lang|wog|h-um}} || {{lang|cjn|n-əmu}} |
| 5
| no specific pattern || {{lang|wog|ŋgw-}} || {{lang|cjn|kw- || {{lang|wog|ŋgw-um}} || {{lang|cjn|kw-umu}} |
Vocabulary comparison
The following basic vocabulary words are from 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 Wogamusin data is from Foley (2005)Foley, 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. and Laycock (1968),Laycock, Donald C. 1968. Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66. and the Chenapian data is from SIL field notes (1983).
The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. {{lang|cjn|tawö}}, {{lang|wog|taw}} for "woman") or not (e.g. {{lang|cjn|dəmiaʔ}}, {{lang|wog|tetak}} for "louse").
:
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| head
| {{lang|cjn|toapᵒ; tuwap}} || {{lang|wog|towam}} |
|---|
| hair
| {{lang|cjn|taoɛnavon; taunabon}} || |
| ear
| {{lang|cjn|gwabuo; ugwabə}} || {{lang|wog|mam}} |
| eye
| {{lang|cjn|džinano; ǰinino}} || {{lang|wog|li}} |
| nose
| {{lang|cjn|mɨnɨk; munɩk}} || {{lang|wog|boliŋ}} |
| tooth
| {{lang|cjn|diu; duɨʔ}} || {{lang|wog|ndəl; ndɨl}} |
| tongue
| {{lang|cjn|taun; ton}} || {{lang|wog|taliyen}} |
| leg
| {{lang|cjn|soʷanaup; šonawəp}} || {{lang|wog|su}} |
| louse
| {{lang|cjn|damian; dəmiaʔ}} || {{lang|wog|tetak}} |
| dog
| {{lang|cjn|gwara; ogwara}} || {{lang|wog|wal}} |
| pig
| {{lang|cjn|kᵘo; ku}} || |
| bird
| {{lang|cjn|džɛosiʔ; ǰɛoši}} || {{lang|wog|yah}} |
| egg
| {{lang|cjn|noə; ṣⁱu no}} || |
| blood
| {{lang|cjn|ne; nᵊe}} || {{lang|wog|noh}} |
| bone
| {{lang|cjn|dža; ǰa·}} || {{lang|wog|rubwi}} |
| skin
| {{lang|cjn|bɩn; bön}} || {{lang|wog|mbe}} |
| breast
| {{lang|cjn|mu; muʔ}} || {{lang|wog|muk}} |
| tree
| {{lang|cjn|məntəp; montoap}} || {{lang|wog|mbotom}} |
| man
| {{lang|cjn|tama; tamö}} || {{lang|wog|tam}} |
| woman
| {{lang|cjn|tauwo; tawö}} || {{lang|wog|taw}} |
| sun
| {{lang|cjn|džabɨn; ǰaƀan}} || {{lang|wog|yam}} |
| moon
| {{lang|cjn|nu}} || {{lang|wog|luh}} |
| water
| {{lang|cjn|džoʔ; ǰoʔ}} || {{lang|wog|yək; yɨk}} |
| fire
| {{lang|cjn|un}} || {{lang|wog|kur}} |
| stone
| {{lang|cjn|nogɛrao; noguařo}} || {{lang|wog|noŋg}} |
| road, path
| {{lang|cjn|uni}} || |
| name
| {{lang|cjn|tamgu}} || |
| one
| {{lang|cjn|nař; sⁱərəʔ}} || {{lang|wog|a}} (M); {{lang|wog|ed}} (F) |
| two
| {{lang|cjn|ǰⁱək; nɛsi; ṣiṣi}} || {{lang|wog|nwis}} |
Footnotes
{{reflist}}