The Busa language, also known as Odiai (Uriai), is spoken in three hamlets of northwestern Papua New Guinea.[2] There were 244 speakers at the time of the 2000 census. One of the hamlets where Busa is spoken is Busa (3°50′14″S 141°26′25″E / 3.837112°S 141.440227°E) in Rawei ward, Green River Rural LLG, Sandaun Province.[3]
Busa | |
---|---|
Odiai | |
Native to | Papua New Guinea |
Region | Sandaun Province, Amanab District, north of Upper Sepik River, west of Namia. 3 villages. Yare is north and east, Abau is south and west, Biaka is northwest. |
Native speakers | 370 (2011 census)[1] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | bhf |
Glottolog | odia1239 |
ELP | Busa |
Coordinates: 3°49′S 141°20′E / 3.817°S 141.333°E |
Busa speakers are in extensive trade and cultural contact with Yadë, a distantly related language spoken in six villages to the north of the Busa area.[2]
Busa may be one of the Kwomtari languages. Foley (2018) classifies Busa as a language isolate (meaning unclassified), but does not exclude the possibility that it may have a distant relationship with the Torricelli languages.[2]
Pronouns are:[2]
sg | pl | |
---|---|---|
1 | mu | mi |
2 | am | |
3m | a ~ ari | ti |
3f | tu |
Busa basic vocabulary listed in Foley (2018):[2]
gloss | Busa |
---|---|
‘bad’ | buriambu |
‘bird’ | wana |
‘black’ | baro |
‘breast’ | nã |
‘ear’ | dina |
‘eye’ | dena |
‘fire’ | eβa |
‘leaf’ | iri |
‘liver’ | munã |
‘louse’ | amo |
‘man’ | nutu |
‘mother’ | mẽ |
‘nape’ | onaiba |
‘older brother’ | aba |
‘road’ | ti |
‘stone’ | bito |
‘tooth’ | wuti |
‘tree’ | nda |
‘water’ | ani |
‘woman’ | ele |
‘one’ | otutu |
‘two’ | tinana |
‘three’ | wunana |
‘four’ | aite |
‘five’ | yumnadi |
The following basic vocabulary words are from Conrad and Dye (1975),[4] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[5]
gloss | Busa |
---|---|
head | owuna |
hair | etete |
ear | dinʌ |
eye | dena |
nose | wʌti |
tooth | wuti |
tongue | dʌgʌrʌ |
louse | amo |
dog | inʌri |
pig | waru |
bird | wʌnʌ |
egg | mʌiyʌ |
blood | aɔ̨ |
bone | ab̶uwibʌ |
skin | tati |
breast | ną |
tree | nda |
man | nutu |
woman | tɔ |
water | ani |
stone | bitɔ |
road, path | ti |
eat | muniʌren |
one | otutu |
two | tinʌnʌ |
Busa subject agreement affixes are:[2]
sg | pl | |
---|---|---|
1 | ma- | ma- |
2 | a- | a- |
3 | m _r_- | m- |
3 | f | _w_- |
The Busa possessive suffix -ni is also found in proto-Sepik as the dative suffix *ni, as well as in Ama, a Left May language.[2]