Ramu–Lower Sepik languages
| Ramu–Lower Sepik | |
|---|---|
| (proposed) | |
| Geographic distribution | northern Papua New Guinea: East Sepik Province and Madang Province |
| Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | lowe1437 |
The Ramu–Lower Sepik a.k.a. Lower Sepik–Ramu languages are a proposed
Overview
Two primary branches are typically accepted:
- Lower Sepik (Nor–Pondo)
- Ramu
However, Foley (2018) also considers the possibility of Grass being a third primary branch.[1] Usher classifies some of the Grass languages (the Keram languages) as being coordinate with Ramu, and some (the Porapora languages) as being part of Ramu.[2]
The relatedness of the three branches are held together by morphological evidence, as very few lexical cognates are shared among them.[1]
The family was proposed by William A. Foley and accepted by Malcolm Ross. Its two branches, Ramu and Lower Sepik, had belonged to Donald Laycock's now-defunct 1973 Sepik–Ramu proposal. If related, they are not close. The connection is not accepted by Timothy Usher.[3]
Based on oral histories of the Lower Sepik peoples, which record that Yimas is spoken near their homeland, as well as the conservative nature of Yimas itself, Ross suggests that the speakers of Proto–Ramu – Lower Sepik may have lived in the northern foothills of the New Guinea highlands and moved into the Sepik Basin as the inland Sepik Sea started to recede six thousand years ago.
Classification
The Ramu-Lower Sepik family is not accepted by Søren Wichmann (2013), who splits it into 4-5 separate groups.[4]
Foley (2018) accepts that Ramu and Lower Sepik are related on the basis of morphological evidence, although they are typologically still very different from each other.[1] It is also accepted by Glottolog.
Grass languages are lexically divergent, sharing very few cognates with the other Ramu languages.[1] Foley (2018: 205) leaves open the possibility of Grass being a third branch of the Lower Sepik-Ramu family, with Lower Sepik and Ramu being sister branches.
Typology
Although the Lower Sepik and Ramu groups are related, Ramu is morphologically much simpler than Lower Sepik due to differing historical contact scenarios. The Ndu, Yuat, and Ramu groups all have relatively simple morphology, while the Lower Sepik family has some of the most complex morphology seen among Papuan languages.[1]
Foley posits that morphological simplification among these disparate languages families had occurred due to
Pronouns
The internal coherence of the two branches, Ramu and Lower Sepik, is based on similar
Whereas the Ramu languages have *ŋgo ‘1sg’ and *nu ‘2sg’, the Lower Sepik languages have *ama ‘1sg’ and *mi ‘2sg’.[1]
Ramu Lower Sepik 1sg *ŋgo *ama 2sg *nu *mi
Lexical comparison
Reconstructions of proto-Lower Sepik and proto-Ottilien (proto-Watam-Awar-Gamay, a Lower Ramu branch) from Foley (2005) are as follows. Uncertain reconstructions are marked by question marks following the forms.[5]
gloss proto-Lower Sepik proto-Ottilien one *mb(w)ia- *kaku two *ri-pa- *mbuniŋ person *nor *namot fire *awr *s(u)ək moon *m(w)il ? *kər(v)i canoe *kay *kor breast *nɨŋgay *mɨr tooth *sisiŋk ? *nda(r) bone *sariŋamp *ɣar tongue *minɨŋ *mi(m) eye *tambri *rəmeak leg *namuŋk *or ? ear *kwand- *kwar leaf *nɨmpramp *(ra)par oar *(mɨ)naŋ *anup betelnut *poruŋ *mbok lime *awi(r) *awi(r) pig *numpran *rəkəm snake *wakɨn *ndop mosquito *naŋgun *ŋgit feces *mɨndi *yu/o hear *and- *varak eat *am(b) *amb go *wa *saŋg come *ya *kɨp sit *sa *mbirak
Lexical resemblances are few. The most likely lexical cognates are ‘tongue’, ‘ear’, ‘lime’, and ‘eat’.[5]
gloss proto-Lower Sepik proto-Lower Ramu tongue *minɨŋ *mi(m) ear *kwand- *kwar lime *awi(r) *awi(r) eat *am(b) *am(b)
See also
Footnotes
- ^ ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
- ^ "Keram and Ramu Rivers - newguineaworld". Archived from the original on 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
- ^ "Families - newguineaworld". Archived from the original on 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
- ^ Wichmann, Søren. 2013. A classification of Papuan languages Archived 2020-11-25 at the Wayback Machine. In: Hammarström, Harald and Wilco van den Heuvel (eds.), History, contact and classification of Papuan languages (Language and Linguistics in Melanesia, Special Issue 2012), 313-386. Port Moresby: Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea.
- ^ OCLC 67292782.