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| Sepik–Ramu | |
|---|---|
| (obsolete) | |
| Geographic distribution | New Guinea |
| Linguistic classification | Proposed language family |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | None |
The Sepik–Ramu languages are an obsolete language family of New Guinea linking the Sepik, Ramu, Nor–Pondo (Lower Sepik), Leonhard Schultze (Walio–Papi) and Yuat families, together with the Taiap language isolate, and proposed by Donald Laycock and John Z'graggen in 1975.[1]
Sepik–Ramu would consist of a hundred languages of the Sepik and Ramu river basins of northern Papua New Guinea, but spoken by only 200,000 people in all. The languages tend to have simple phonologies, with few consonants or vowels and usually no tones.
The best known Sepik–Ramu language is Iatmül. The most populous are Iatmül's fellow Ndu languages Abelam and Boiken, with about 35,000 speakers apiece.
Malcolm Ross and William A. Foley separately re-evaluated the Sepik–Ramu hypothesis in 2005. They both found no evidence that it forms a valid family. However, all of the constituent branches, except for Yuat within Ramu, remain individually valid in his evaluation. Ross links Nor–Pondo to Ramu in a Ramu–Lower Sepik proposal, places Leonhard Schultze (tentatively broken up into Walio and Papi) within an extended Sepik family, and treats Yuat and Taiap as independent families.
Classification
Ethnologue
This list is a mirror of the classification in Ethnologue 15.
- Sepik–Ramu phylum (based on Laycock 1973)
- Taiap isolate
- Leonhard Schultze stock
- Nor–Pondo stock (6 languages)
- Ramu subphylum (37 languages)
- Ramu superstock (29 languages)
- Yuat–Langam superstock (13 languages)
- Mongol–Langam family
- Yuat–Maramba stock
- Sepik subphylum (50 languages)
Foley (2018)
Uncontroversially coherent subgroups accepted by Foley (2018) are:[2]
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Lexical comparison
Below is a comparison of proto-Ndu, proto-Lower Sepik, and proto-Ottilien reconstructed by and listed in Foley (2005).[3]
gloss proto-Ndu proto-Lower Sepik proto-Ottilien man, person *ntɨw *nor *namot water *ŋkɨw *arɨm fire *ya *awr *s(u)ək sun *ɲa *ra(u) moon *mpapmɨw *m(w)il ? *kər(v)i breast *mɨwɲ *nɨŋgay *mɨr tooth *nɨmpɨy *sisiŋk ? *nda(r) bone *apə *sariŋamp *ɣar tongue *tɨkŋa *minɨŋ *mi(m) eye *mɨyR *tambri *rəmeak nose *tam(w)ə *ŋgum leg *man *namuŋk *or ? ear *wan *kwand- name *cɨ *ɣi pig *mp(w)al *numpran *rəkəm snake *kampwəy *wakɨn *ndop mosquito *kɨvɨy *naŋgun *ŋgit eat *kɨ *am(b) *amb go *yɨ *wa *saŋg come *ya *ya *kɨp sit *rə *sa *mbirak stand *rap(m) *-tik one *nək *mb(w)ia- *kaku two *ri-pa- *mbuniŋ three *-ram
Due to its highly divergent lexicon, Foley does not classify Sepik with Lower Sepik and Ramu.
The lexical data below is from the Trans-New Guinea database,[4] Foley (2005),[3] and Usher (2020) (for Proto-Arafundi).[5]
| family | language | head | hair | ear | eye | nose | tooth | tongue | leg | blood | bone | skin | breast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trans-New Guinea | Proto-Trans-New Guinea | *kobutu; *kV(mb,p)utu; *mUtUna; *mVtVna | *iti; *(nd,s)umu(n,t); *zumun | *ka(nd,t)(i,e)C; *kat(i,e)C; *tVmV(d) | *g(a,u)mu; *ŋg(a,u)mu; *(ŋg,k)iti ; *nVpV | *mundu; *mutu | *magata; *maŋgat; *titi | *balaŋ; *mbilaŋ; *me(l,n)e; *me(n,l)e | *kani(n); *k(a,o)ond(a,o)C; *kitu | *ke(ñj,s)a; *kesa | *kondaC; *kwata(l,n) | *gatapu; *(ŋg,k)a(nd,t)apu | *amu |
| Yadë | Nagatiman | ʌsu | ʌsʌǏahuᵽa | ąhuǏuʔ | na:ba | yɛlu | aǏižiʔ | wi:nuʔ | ɛlɛ:b̶u | žib̶uʔ | ma:ba | ||
| Busa | Odiai | owuna | etete | dinʌ | dena | wʌti | wuti | dʌgʌrʌ | aɔ̨ | ab̶uwibʌ | tati | ną | |
| Amto-Musan | Amto | twæ | (twæ) iwɔ | ye | mo | ni | i | hæne; hʌne | nʌkei | hae | ka | ne | |
| Amto-Musan | Siawi | nani | nanigi | eʔ | mene | Ǐimʌ | ʔi | hanɛ | hařʔ | hařʔ | ʔaoko | ne | |
| Left May | Bo | kʌmi | kʌmsiya | kɔ | mʌǏo | ki | ki | lɛsɛ | kwo | mutuk | tʌpɔ | nɔ | |
| Walio | Yawiyo (Wosawari dialect) | tipafu | yei | afe | nimau | tɩmʌsi | nʌfe | tanotai | teyuowa | ihuwa | toefahewa | mama | |
| Papi | Papi | auwiyu | ařupisi | mʌgʌnaba | sunweyo | tʌnipɔku | sʋmunu | sakeyo | taneke | naikʌmio | pʌsiyæ | abiyaiɔ | |
| Sepik, Abau | Abau | makwe | nwek | nane; nanɛ | kasan | nas | sane; sanɛ | sune; sunɛ | nyoh | ayo; i | ohi | mu | |
| Sepik, Iwam | Iwam | mu | wun | nu | nomwos | piknu | kwane | wərku; wɨrku | ni | keew; kew | pəw | muy | |
| Sepik, Wogamusin-Chenapian | Chenapian | toapᵒ; tuwap | taoɛnavon; taunabon | gwabuo; ugwabə | džinano; ǰinino | mɨnɨk; munɩk | diu; duɨʔ | taun; ton | soʷanaup; šonawəp | ne; nᵊe | dža; ǰa· | bɩn; bön | mu; muʔ |
| Sepik, Tama | Yessan-Mayo | tara | wan | la; lə | raŋkɨ; raŋki | lər; lir | tawlə | towa; warə | nap | yaha | was | mu; mukw | |
| Sepik, Ram | Pouye | nouraka | maroalaka | nowar | wolokə | piyapa | laləmu | lalə | aywi | lakə | nəpyei | muy | |
| Sepik, Yellow River | Namia | magu | mak | eno | nəmala; nɨmala | pinarɨ; pinarə | lar | li:; lipala | norə | lak | urarə | mu | |
| Sepik, Ndu | Proto-Ndu[3] | *wan | *mɨyR | *tam(w)ə | *nɨmpɨy | *tɨkŋa | *man | *apə | *mɨwɲ | ||||
| Sepik, Nukuma | Kwoma | masək | fu:; mabiya | mi:; miyi | sumojɨ; sumwonj | pu; tarəkwi | kwunja; tarekwoy | ya:te; yati | pi | apo; hapa | mampə | muk; muku | |
| Sepik, Sanio | Saniyo-Hiyewe | tu; worɛ siyaʔi | mato towe; tutowe | apahɛ; apaniyɛ | nihe; nihɛ | ɛrɛme; ɛrɛmɛ | pi | sořowɛ; soruwɛ | lowe; rowɛ | fisa'i; fisaʔi | paʔaře; pa'arɛ | tahɛ | mo'u; moʔu |
| Sepik, Bahinemo | Bahinemo | thu | thunʌba | bʌsiya | niya | sɛkʌnɩ | pi | thɔlu | lowa | mahələ | hʌbi | thʌbi | mosu |
| Sepik, Alamblak | Alamblak | mʌbogath; mɛ̈ƀɨǥatʰ | tʰɨ'maʀ̌č; tʌmarts; tʰɨ'maʀ̌š | yimbɣindang; yɩmbɨǥin'daŋgɨtʰ; yɩmbʌlindangʌm | ɲinga; 'ɲiŋgaʀ̥̥̌; ningaw | 'hʰušɨ ɨtʰ; khusɩmʌth; 'kʰučɨmɨtʰ; kusm | bɩ'čɛ̈tʰ; biʃə; bɩ'šɛ̈tʰ; bɩsʌm | tor; torkh; 'tʰoʀ̥̌tʰ | wʌlat; 'wɷ'řatʰ; wura | khukhupam; kɨ'kʰupʰam | thʌphim; tɨ'pɩʀ̥̌; tɨpi | tʰɨ'ǥatʰ; thʌkhath | mingam; miŋatʰ; niŋgam |
| Tayap | Tayap[6] | kokir | kokɨrŋgrɨt | neke | ŋgino | raw | rewi | malɨt | ndow | and | nɨŋg | toto | min |
| Piawi | Haruai (Wiyaw dialect) | 'jeʥ̮ᵊ'mat̮ɑ | jeʥ̮ᵊˈϕan | ɾ̥ɨmɨnt̮ɕ | 'momakʰ | haŋi'etʰ | andzᵊmakᵡ | alᵊ'bʌɲ | ϕa'letʰ | haɲ | jantʰ | jɩmaɤ wɨɲ | kau |
| Piawi | Pinai-Hagahai (Aramo dialect) | iʥ̮uə'xə | iˌʥ̮imə'da | jɛn'waϕe | mɛmɛʥ̮ə'magə | nama'gə | ˌjɛd̮ʑɩ 'magə | su'ə; syê | hə'damə'si | ga'ja | jɛ'də | wɩ'ɲi | a'hu |
| Arafundi | Proto-Arafundi[5] | *kopa | *tum | *kund | *pok | *kandz | *taTumat | *panamb | *kombet- | *jekimb | *kumb-; *tut | *ji | |
| Yuat | Biwat | fop; fopeh | fufuimaivi; fufuimaye | tuanhe; tundu | siketeh; sipta | gerekeh; ŋerek | andu; andusivahe | be; behe | gambang; geambangeh | amberaeh; ambra | amfuva; amfuvaheh | gamfuin; iaveteh | meru; meruhe |
| Yuat | Kyenele (Miyak dialect) | ᵽop | fusibɩľu | tandu | sɩpʰala | nʌnɛlɩŋ | ŋandu | mpe | ŋgambaŋ | ambala | amᵽuwa | nᵽɩsakʰ | miřu |
| Lower Sepik | Proto-Lower Sepik[3] | *kwand-; *kwandum | *tambri | *sisiŋk; *?*sisiŋk | *minɨŋ; *minɨŋk | *namuŋk | *ya-; *ya-r | *sariŋamp | *nɨŋgay; *nɨŋkay | ||||
| Ramu | Ambakich (Arango dialect) | katʃi | katʃokei | kər | dun | kɨpɨ | aur | mil | brip | sin | karatʃ | okanɨk | oɾitʃ |
| Ramu | Proto-Watam-Awar-Gamay[3] | *kwar | *rəmeak | *ŋgum | *nda(r) | *mi(m) | *or ? | *ɣar | *mɨr |