Yapen languages (Austronesian)

{{Short description|Branch of the Austronesian language family}}

{{distinguish|Yapen languages (Papuan)}}

{{Infobox language family

|name=Yapen

|region=Yapen Island, Western New Guinea, Indonesia

|familycolor=Austronesian

|fam2=Malayo-Polynesian

|fam3=Central–Eastern

|fam4=South Halmahera–West New Guinea

|fam5=Cenderawasih Bay

|child1=Central–Western

|child2=Eastern

|protoname=Proto-Yapen

|glotto=yape1249

|glottorefname=Yapen

|map= Yapen-languages.png

}}

The Yapen languages are the branch of Malayo-Polynesian languages spoken on Yapen Island and the nearby isle of Cenderawasih Bay, both in Papua province of northeastern Indonesia.

They share Yapen Ιsland with the Papuan Yawa languages.

Historical morphology

Reconstructions of subject markers and inalienable possessive markers for Yapen proto-languages according to Kamholz (2015). Note that V = vocalic conjugation, C = consonantal conjugation:

Proto-Yapen:

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*y- (V), *ya- (C)1pl.*t- (incl.), *am- (excl.)
2sg.*bu- (V), *-u- (C)2pl.*m-
3sg.*dy- (V), *-i- (C)3pl.*si-

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*-ku, *-ni1pl.*ta-...-mi (incl.), *ama-...-mi (excl.)
2sg.*-mu2pl.*mi-...-mi
3sg.*-n-pai3pl.*si-...-mi

Proto-Western Yapen (Proto-Central–Western Yapen):

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*y- (V), *ya- (C)1pl.*tat- (incl.), *amat- (excl.)
2sg.*bu- (V), *-u- (C)2pl.*met-
3sg.*dy- (V), *-i- (C)3pl.*set-

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*-ku, *-ni1pl.*ta-...-mi (incl.), *ama-...-mi (excl.)
2sg.*-mu2pl.*me-...-mi
3sg.*-n-pai, *-na-ni3pl.*se-...-mi

Proto-Central Yapen:

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*y- (V), *ya- (C)1pl.*tat- (incl.), *amat- (excl.)
2sg.*w- (V), *-u- (C)2pl.*met-
3sg.*dy- (V), *-i- (C)3pl.*et-

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*-u, *-ni1pl.*ta-...-mi (incl.), *ama-...-mi (excl.)
2sg.*-mu2pl.*me-...-mi
3sg.*-nempai, *-na-ni3pl.*se-...-mi

Proto-Eastern Yapen:

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*ay- (V), *a- (C)1pl.*t- (incl.), *nam- (excl.)
2sg.*b- (V), *-u- (C)2pl.*mi-
3sg.*d- (V), *-i- (C)3pl.*si-

:

class=wikitable
1sg.*ai-1pl.*ta- (incl.), *na- (excl.)
2sg.*me-2pl.*mi-
3sg.*ne-3pl.*si-

Languages

From Kamholz (2024):

{{tree list}}

{{tree list/end}}

Lexical reconstructions

Reconstruction of lexemes found in Proto-Yapen according to Gasser (2017).Gasser, Emily (2017). [https://tufs.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/1406/file_preview/4_Gasser_NUSA62_24012018_1.pdf Papuan-Austronesian language contact on Yapen Island: A preliminary account]

class=wikitable

!Proto-Yapen

Gloss
*apai'bow'
*tawai'snake'

Proto-Western Yapen, also known as Proto-Central-Western Yapen, was reconstructed in 1983 by P.J. Silzer.

Further reading

{{refbegin}}

  • P.J. Silzer Ambai, an Austronesian Language of Irian Jaya, Indonesia, Ph.D. Australian National University, 1983.
  • Kamholz, David (2015). [https://web.archive.org/web/20220320095138/http://ical13.ling.sinica.edu.tw/Full_papers_and_ppts/July_19/G-55.pdf The reconstruction of Proto-SHWNG morphology]
  • {{cite book |last=Kamhold |first=David |year=2024 |chapter=Historical linguistics of the South Halmahera–West New Guinea subgroup |editor1=Alexander Adelaar |editor2=Antoinette Schapper |title=The Oxford Guide to the Malayo-Polynesian Languages of Southeast Asia |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/oso/9780198807353.003.0012 |pages=181-187}}

{{refend}}

=References=