Suki language
Suki | |
---|---|
Native to | Papua New Guinea |
Region | Western Province |
Native speakers | 3,500 (2003)[1] |
Papuan Gulf ?
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | sui |
Glottolog | suki1245 |
Suki is a
Overview
Suki is primarily spoken in six villages of the Western Province: Gwaku (8°02′48″S 141°31′31″E / 8.046723°S 141.525347°E), Iwewi, Ewe, Gwibaku (8°02′54″S 141°44′02″E / 8.048408°S 141.733935°E), Duru (8°05′13″S 141°46′34″E / 8.086882°S 141.776141°E), and Isala.[2][3]
Suki is genetically related to the three other languages of the
As with many Papuan languages, there are very few published materials on Suki. The literacy rate in Suki is 5-15%, English is the language of instruction in schools and Hiri Motu is also spoken.[5]
Alternate names
Suki is also known as Wiram[5] and was earlier known as Nausaku, after one of the villages where Suki was spoken. The village no longer exists, but was located near present-day Isala.[2]
Phonology
The
Consonants
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stops | p b (β) | t (tʰ) d | k (kʰ) ɡ (ɣ) | |
Fricatives | s z | |||
Nasals | m | n | ||
Approximants | w | ɾ (l) | j |
Vowels
i (ɪ) (e) | u (ʊ) | |
ɛ (æ) | o (ɔ) | |
a (ɑ) |
Orthography
Suki is written using the
Morphology
Suki is an
Person-Object | Person-Number | |
---|---|---|
1st singular | -ne | -aru |
2nd/3rd singular | -ø | -eru |
1st plural | -iye | -erimu |
2nd/3rd plural | -de | -eru |
Pronouns
The pronoun system of Suki is somewhat unusual in the world, though quite typical for a language of New Guinea, in that the pronouns for 2nd singular and 1st plural are
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
1st person | ne | e |
2nd person | e | de |
3rd person | u | i |
Numerals
There are four numerals native to Suki, though only two
1 | nimap |
2 | menes |
3 | menes nimap |
4 | menes menes |
In writing, numerals one through four are spelled out, while numerals above four are written with Arabic numerals.[7]
Syntax
Suki is a
References
- ^ Suki at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b Wurm, S.A. (1977)
- ^ United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
- ^ a b c d e Voorhoeve, C.L. (1970)
- ^ a b Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (2005)
- ^ Capell, A. (1969)
- ^ The New Testament in Suki (1981)
Bibliography
- Capell, A. A Survey of New Guinea Languages. Sydney: Sydney University Press, 1969, SBN 424054205
- Capell, Arthur. A Linguistic Survey of the South-Western Pacific. South Pacific Commission. Technical Paper No. 136. Nouméa: South Pacific Commission, 1962.
- McElhanon, K.A., and C.L. Voorhoeve, eds. The Trans–New Guinea Phylum: Explorations in Deep-Level Genetic Relationships. Vol. B #16. Sydney: The Australian National University, 1970.
- Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". in Andrew Pawley, Robert Attenborough, Robin Hide, Jack Golson, eds.. Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0-85883-562-2. OCLC 67292782
- The New Testament in Suki / Godte Gi Amkari Titrum Ine. Port Moresby: The Bible Society of Papua New Guinea 1981, ISBN 0-647-04755-1
- Voorhoeve, C.L., “Some Notes on the Suki-Gogodala Subgroup of the Central and South New Guinea Phylum.” in Wurm, S.A., and D.C. Laycock, eds. Pacific Linguistic Studies in Honour of Arthur Capell. Vol. Series C #13: The Australian National University, 1970, ISBN 0-85883-005-1
- Wurm, S.A., ed. New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study. Vol. 1. Canberra: Australian National University, 1977, ISBN 0-85883-132-5