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mairasi language

{{Short description|Papuan language spoken in Indonesia}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Mairasi

|region=Bomberai Peninsula

|states=West Papua, Indonesia

|speakers=3,300

|date=1996

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Papuan

|fam1=Mairasi

|iso3=zrs

|glotto=nucl1594

|glottorefname=Mairasi

}}

Mairasi ({{a.k.a.}} Faranyao and Kaniran) is a Papuan language of the Bomberai Peninsula of West Papua, Indonesia.

The Northeastern dialect may be a distinct language.

Distribution

Locations:{{cite book |last=Ronsumbre |first=Adolof |year=2020 |title=Ensiklopedia Suku Bangsa di Provinsi Papua Barat |location=Yogyakarta |publisher=Penerbit Kepel Press |isbn=978-602-356-318-0}}

  • Kaimana Regency
  • Interior villages: Umbran, Jamna Fata, Matna, Tarwata, Sara, Kasira, Orai, Wangatnau, Faranyau, and Sarifan
  • Coastal villages: Sisir, Foroma Jaya, Warasi, Lobo, Lomira, Morona, Nanggwaromi, Omay (May may), and Warika
  • Teluk Wondama Regency
  • Naikere District villages: Sararti, Oya, Yabore, Wosimo, Undurara, and Inyora

Phonology

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Consonants

!colspan=2|

! Bilabial

! Alveolar

! Post-
alveolar

! Velar

! Glottal

colspan=2| Nasal

| {{IPAlink|m}} || {{IPAlink|n}} || || ||

rowspan=2| Plosive

! {{small|voiceless}}

| || {{IPAlink|t}} || || || {{IPAlink|ʔ}}

{{small|voiced}}

| {{IPAlink|b}} || {{IPAlink|d}} || {{IPAlink|dʒ}}|| {{IPAlink|ɡ}} ||

rowspan=2| Fricative

! {{small|voiceless}}

| {{IPAlink|ɸ}} || {{IPAlink|s}} || || ||

{{small|voiced}}

| {{IPAlink|β}} || || || ||

colspan=2| Liquid

| || {{IPAlink|r}} || || ||

colspan=2| Semivowel

| {{IPAlink|w}} || || || ||

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Vowels

! !! Front!! Back

Close

| {{IPAlink|i}} || {{IPAlink|u}}

Mid

| {{IPAlink|e}} || {{IPAlink|o}}

Back

| colspan="2" | {{IPAlink|a}}

Pronouns

Mairasi possessor prefixes are:{{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 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}}

:

{{table}}

! !! sg !! pl

1

| o- || ee-

2

| ne- || e-

3

| na- || ne-

Morphology

=Case markers=

Noun phrase case markers in Mairasi:{{rp|546}}

  • instrumental suffix -t
  • locative postposition ar
  • allative postposition ev(i)

Some examples:

{{interlinear|number=ex:|ovuru-t|machete-INSTR|‘with a machete’}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:|weso ar|house LOC|‘in the house’}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:|mundu evi|village ALL|‘to the village’}}

=Possessors=

Mairasi possessor prefixes:{{rp|546}}

:

{{table}}

! !! sg !! pl

1

| o- || ee-

2

| ne- || e-

3

| na- || ne-

Examples of inalienable possessors:

{{interlinear|number=ex:|ee-rovo|1PL.POSS-hand|‘our hands’}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:|na-iambi|3SG.POSS-skin|‘his skin’}}

=Directionals=

Mairasi has two directional suffixes, which are only used with movement verbs.{{rp|549}}

  • -aʔi ‘up, inland’
  • -ari ‘down, seaward’

Examples of directional suffixes in use:

{{interlinear|number=ex:|o-is-aʔi|1SG.SBJ-stand-up|‘I stand up’}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:|o-fon-ari|1SG.SBJ-sit-down|‘I sit down’}}

=Animacy=

Animacy is marked by the adjective modifier n-, as exemplified by the contrast in the following two noun phrases.{{rp|546}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:

|fariri Ø-avwer

|word INAN-big

|‘a big word’}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:

|fariri n-avwer

|word ANIM-big

|‘a long-winded person’}}

Vowel changes can modify the number of animate nouns:{{rp|546}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:

|uratu n-avwer

|fish ANIM-big.SG

|‘a big fish’}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:

|uratu n-evwer

|fish ANIM-big.PL

|‘big fishes’}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Languages of Indonesia}}

Category:Languages of Western New Guinea

Category:Mairasi languages