Torricelli languages

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Torricelli
Torricelli Range – Sepik Coast
Geographic
distribution		Torricelli Range and coast, northern Papua New Guinea (East Sepik, Sandaun, and Madang provinces)
Linguistic classificationOne of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottolognucl1708  (Nuclear Torricelli)
The Torricelli languages as classified by Foley (2018)

The Torricelli languages are a

Torricelli Mountains. The most populous and best known Torricelli language is Arapesh
, with about 30,000 speakers.

They are not clearly related to other Papuan language families; however, attempts have been made to establish external links.[1] The most promising[clarification needed] external relationship for the Torricelli family is the Sepik languages. (In reconstructions of both families, the pronouns have a plural suffix *-m and a dual suffix *-p.)

C.L. Voorhoeve (1987) has proposed that they are related to the North Halmahera languages and most of the languages of the Bird’s Head Peninsula, thus forming the easternmost extension of the postulated West Papuan family.[2]

History

The Torricelli languages occupy three geographically separated areas, evidently separated by later migrations of

Lower Sepik-Ramu and Sepik (especially Ndu) reflects later migrations from the south and the east.[3] Foley notes that the Lower Sepik and Ndu groups have lower internal diversity comparable to that of the Germanic and Romance
languages, while internal diversity within the Torricelli family is considerably higher.

Typological overview

Syntax

The Torricelli languages are unusual among Papuan languages in having a basic clause order of SVO (subject–verb–object). (In contrast, most Papuan languages have SOV order.) It was previously believed that the Torricelli word order was a result of contact with Austronesian languages, but Donohue (2005) believes it is more likely that SVO order was present in the Torricelli proto-language.[4]

Torricelli languages display many typological features that are direct opposites of features typical in the much more widespread

Trans-New Guinea languages.[5]

However,

Lower Sepik-Ramu and Sepik languages, which are predominantly SOV.[5]

Torricelli languages also lack clause chaining constructions, and therefore have no true conjunctions or clause-linking affixes.[5] Clauses are often simply juxtaposed.

Nouns

In Torricelli and

Lower Sepik-Ramu languages, phonological properties of nouns can even determine gender.[5]

Like in the

Tor–Kwerba language families.[6]

Classification

Taiap (Gapun) language from the rest of the family in a 'Sepik Coast' branch.[7]

Foley (2018)

Foley (2018) provides the following classification.[3]

Foley rejects Laycock's (1975) Kombio-Arapeshan grouping, instead splitting up into the Arapesh and Urim groups.

Glottolog v4.8

Glottolog v4.8 presents the following classification for the "Nuclear Torricelli" languages:[8]

In addition, Hammarström et al. do not accept the placement of the Bogia languages within Torricelli, stating that "no evidence [for this] was ever presented".[9]

Pronouns

The pronouns Ross (2005) reconstructs for proto-Torricelli are

singular proto-Torricelli dual proto-Torricelli plural proto-Torricelli
I *ki we two *ku-p we *ku-m, *əpə
thou *yi, *ti you two *ki-p you *ki-m, *ipa
he *ətə-n, *ni they two (M) *ma-k they (M) *ətə-m, *ma, *apa-
she *ətə-k, *ku they two (F) *kwa-k they (F) *ətə-l

Foley (2018) reconstructs the independent personal pronouns *ki ‘I’ and *(y)i ‘thou’, and *(y)ip ‘you (pl)’. Foley considers the second-person pronouns to be strong diagnostics for determining membership in the Torricelli family.

Foley (2018) reconstructs the following subject agreement prefixes for proto-Torricelli.[3]

sg pl
1 *k-
2
3m *n- *m-
3f *w-

Cognate sets

A cognate set for 'louse' in Torricelli languages as compiled by Dryer (2022):[10]

Language (group) louse
Marienberg nəmi, ɲumo, ɲɛm, ɲimi
Central Wapei nəmk, nəmeiləm, nimim
East Wapei nəmaŋgar, namkar
Wanap ɲiməl
Urat ŋumbu
Kombio ɲumək, niumukn, ɲumukŋun
Arapeshan
 numunəl, nəmaŋgof
Wom numulɛ
West Palei ɲmulol
Urim nmin
Maimai yomata
East Palei ymunə, ymul
West Wapei muni, moni, munola

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780203645659
    .
  2. ISBN 0-85883-357-3
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7
    .
  4. ^ Donohue 2005.
  5. ^ a b c d Foley, Bill. 2005. Papuan languages, as written for the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics 2003.
  6. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7
    .
  7. ^ "Sepik Coast - newguineaworld".
  8. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7398962
    . Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  9. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7398962. Archived
    from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  10. ^ Dryer, Matthew S. (2022). Trans-New Guinea IV.2: Evaluating Membership in Trans-New Guinea.

Bibliography

  • Donohue, Mark (2005). "Word order in New Guinea: dispelling a myth". Oceanic Linguistics. 44 (2): 527–536.
    S2CID 38009656
    .
  • Laycock, Donald C. 1968. Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66.
  • 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
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