Lower Ramu languages

Summary

The Lower Ramu or Ottilien–Misegian languages consist of two branches in the Ramu language family. They are all spoken in Yawar Rural LLG, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.[1][2]

Lower Ramu
Ottilien–Misegian
Geographic
distribution
Yawar Rural LLG, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classificationRamu
  • Ramu proper
    • Lower Ramu
Subdivisions
Glottologlowe1439

Classification edit

The Lower Ramu languages as classified by Usher and by Foley (2018) are:[3][4]

Lower Ramu languages

Lower Ramu as presented in Foley (2018) has been reduced in scope from the classification given in Foley (2005), which is as follows.[5]

Lower Ramu

The Ataitan languages, including Tangu and Igom, are not included in Foley (2018).

Pronouns edit

Tentative proto-Lower Ramu pronoun reconstructions by Foley (2005) are:[5]

singular dual plural
1st person *ŋgu *aŋga *ai
2nd person *nu *(n)oŋgo(a) *ni/e
3rd person *ma(n) *mani(ŋg) *mV(n)

Cognates edit

Like cognates between proto-Lower Sepik and proto-Lower Ramu listed by Foley (2005) are:[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)

References edit

  1. ^ Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2019). "Papua New Guinea languages". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (22nd ed.). Dallas: SIL International.
  2. ^ United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
  3. ^ Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Lower Ramu River
  4. ^ Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  5. ^ a b c Foley, William A. (2005). "Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik-Ramu basin". 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. 109–144. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.
  • 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 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.

Further reading edit

  • Paris, Brian. 2015. A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Lower Ramu Languages of Papua New Guinea. SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2015-009.