View source for Sepik–Ramu languages

{{Short description|Obsolete language family of New Guinea}}
{{cleanup lang|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox language family
 |name     = Sepik–Ramu
 |acceptance=obsolete
 |region   = [[New Guinea]]
 |familycolor = Papuan
 |family   = Proposed language family
 |child2   = [[Ramu languages|Ramu]]
 |child1   = [[Sepik languages|Sepik]]
 |child3   = [[Nor–Pondo languages|Nor–Pondo]]
 |child4   = [[Leonhard Schultze languages|Leonhard Schultze]] (Walio–Papi)
 |child5   = ''[[Tayap language|Tayap]]''
 |glotto   = none
}}

The '''Sepik–Ramu languages''' are an obsolete [[language family]] of [[New Guinea]] linking the [[Sepik languages|Sepik]], [[Ramu languages|Ramu]], [[Nor–Pondo languages|Nor–Pondo (Lower Sepik)]], [[Leonhard Schultze languages|Leonhard Schultze (Walio–Papi)]] and [[Yuat languages|Yuat]] families, together with the [[Taiap language|Taiap]] [[language isolate]], and proposed by [[Donald Laycock]] and [[John Z'graggen]] in 1975.<ref>Laycock, D. C. and Z'graggen, John A. 1975. The Sepik-Ramu Phylum. In Wurm, S.A. (ed.), Papuan Languages and the New Guinea Linguistic Scene, New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study 1, 729-763. Australian National University.</ref>

Sepik–Ramu would consist of a hundred languages of the [[Sepik River|Sepik]] and [[Ramu River|Ramu]] river basins of northern [[Papua New Guinea]], but spoken by only 200,000 people in all. The languages tend to have simple phonologies, with few consonants or vowels and usually no tones.

The best known Sepik–Ramu language is [[Iatmül language|Iatmül]]. The most populous are Iatmül's fellow [[Ndu languages]] [[Abelam language|Abelam]] and [[Boiken language|Boiken]], with about 35,000 speakers apiece.

[[Malcolm Ross (linguist)|Malcolm Ross]] and [[William A. Foley]] separately re-evaluated the Sepik–Ramu hypothesis in 2005. They both found no evidence that it forms a valid family. However, all of the constituent branches, except for Yuat within Ramu, remain individually valid in his evaluation. Ross links Nor–Pondo to Ramu in a [[Ramu–Lower Sepik languages|Ramu–Lower Sepik]] proposal, places Leonhard Schultze (tentatively broken up into Walio and Papi) within an extended [[Sepik languages|Sepik]] family, and treats Yuat and Taiap as independent families.

==Classification==
===Ethnologue===
This list is a mirror of the classification in ''[[Ethnologue]]'' 15.

{{tree list}}
* '''Sepik–Ramu phylum''' (based on Laycock 1973)
** ''[[Taiap language|Taiap]]'' isolate
** [[Leonhard Schultze languages|Leonhard Schultze]] stock
*** '''[[Walio languages|Walio]]''' family (4 languages)
*** '''[[Papi languages|Papi]]''' family (2 languages)
** [[Nor–Pondo languages|Nor–Pondo]] stock (6 languages)
** Ramu subphylum (37 languages)
*** [[Ramu languages|Ramu]] superstock (29 languages)
**** [[Grass languages|Grass]] stock (5 languages)
**** '''[[Arafundi languages|Arafundi]]''' family (2 languages)
**** [[Annaberg languages|Annaberg]] stock (3 languages)
**** Ruboni stock (8 languages)
***** '''[[Ottilien languages|Ottilien]]''' family
***** '''[[Misegian languages|Misegian]]''' family
**** Goam stock (11 languages)
***** '''[[Ataitan languages|Ataitan]]''' family
***** '''[[Tamolan languages|Tamolan]]''' family
*** Yuat–Langam superstock (13 languages)
**** '''[[Mongol–Langam languages|Mongol–Langam]]''' family
**** Yuat–Maramba stock
***** ''[[Maramba language|Maramba]]'' isolate (unattested)
***** '''[[Yuat languages|Yuat]]''' family
** [[Sepik languages|Sepik]] subphylum (50 languages) [see subclassification at that article]
{{tree list/end}}

===Foley (2018)===
Uncontroversially coherent subgroups accepted by Foley (2018) are:<ref name="Foley-Sepik">{{cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |author-link=William A. Foley |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=197–432 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{{tree list}}
*'''[[Sepik languages|Sepik]]''' (11 groups)
**[[Ndu languages|Ndu]] ([[Middle Sepik languages|Middle Sepik]]?)
**[[Nukuma languages|Nukuma]] ([[Middle Sepik languages|Middle Sepik]]?)
**''[[Yerakai language|Yerakai]]'' ([[Middle Sepik languages|Middle Sepik]]?)
**[[Yellow River languages|Yellow River]] ([[Middle Sepik languages|Middle Sepik]]?)
**[[Tama languages|Tama]]
**[[Sepik Hill languages|Sepik Hill]]
**[[Ram languages|Ram]]
**[[Wogamus languages|Wogamus]] ([[Upper Sepik languages|Upper Sepik]]?)
**[[Iwam languages|Iwam]] ([[Upper Sepik languages|Upper Sepik]]?)
**''[[Abau language|Abau]]'' ([[Upper Sepik languages|Upper Sepik]]?)
**''[[Amal language|Amal]]''
{{tree list/end}}
{{col-break}}
{{tree list}}
*'''[[Ramu languages|Ramu]]''' (5 groups)
**[[Middle Ramu languages|Middle Ramu]]
**[[Tamolan languages|Tamolan]]
**[[Ataitan languages|Ataitan]] (Tanggu)
**[[Ottilien languages|Ottilien]]–[[Misegian languages|Misegian]]
**[[Grass languages|Grass]]

*'''[[Lower Sepik languages|Lower Sepik]]'''

*'''[[Leonhard Schultze languages|Leonhard Schultze]] (Walio-Papi)'''
**[[Walio languages|Walio]]
**[[Papi languages|Papi]]

*'''[[Yuat languages|Yuat]]'''

*'''''[[Taiap language|Taiap]]'''''
{{tree list/end}}
{{col-end}}

==Lexical comparison==
Below is a comparison of proto-[[Ndu languages|Ndu]], proto-[[Lower Sepik languages|Lower Sepik]], and proto-[[Ottilien languages|Ottilien]] reconstructed by and listed in Foley (2005).<ref name="Foley-Sepik-Ramu">{{cite book | last = Foley | first = William A. | author-link = William A. Foley | year = 2005 | chapter = Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik-Ramu basin | title = Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples | location = Canberra | publisher = Pacific Linguistics | isbn = 0858835622 | oclc = 67292782 | editor = Andrew Pawley | editor-link = Andrew Pawley | editor2 = Robert Attenborough | editor3 = Robin Hide | editor4 = Jack Golson | pages = 109&ndash;144 }}</ref>

:{| {{table}}
! gloss !! proto-[[Ndu languages|Ndu]] !! proto-[[Lower Sepik languages|Lower Sepik]] !! proto-[[Ottilien languages|Ottilien]]
|-
| man, person || *ntɨw || *nor || *namot
|-
| water || *ŋkɨw || *arɨm || 
|-
| fire || *ya || *awr || *s(u)ək
|-
| sun || *ɲa ||  || *ra(u)
|-
| moon || *mpapmɨw || *m(w)il ? || *kər(v)i
|-
| breast || *mɨwɲ || *nɨŋgay || *mɨr
|-
| tooth || *nɨmpɨy || *sisiŋk ? || *nda(r)
|-
| bone || *apə || *sariŋamp || *ɣar
|-
| tongue || *tɨkŋa || *minɨŋ || *mi(m)
|-
| eye || *mɨyR || *tambri || *rəmeak
|-
| nose || *tam(w)ə ||  || *ŋgum
|-
| leg || *man || *namuŋk || *or ?
|-
| ear || *wan || *kwand- || 
|-
| name || *cɨ ||  || *ɣi
|-
| pig || *mp(w)al || *numpran || *rəkəm
|-
| snake || *kampwəy || *wakɨn || *ndop
|-
| mosquito || *kɨvɨy || *naŋgun || *ŋgit
|-
| eat || *kɨ || *am(b) || *amb
|-
| go || *yɨ || *wa || *saŋg
|-
| come || *ya || *ya || *kɨp
|-
| sit || *rə || *sa || *mbirak
|-
| stand || *rap(m) ||  || *-tik
|-
| one || *nək || *mb(w)ia- || *kaku
|-
| two ||  || *ri-pa- || *mbuniŋ
|-
| three ||  || *-ram || 
|}

Due to its highly divergent lexicon, Foley does not classify [[Sepik languages|Sepik]] with [[Lower Sepik languages|Lower Sepik]] and [[Ramu languages|Ramu]].

==See also==
*[[Papuan languages]]
*[[Northwest Papuan languages]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Papuan languages}}
{{Sepik languages}}
{{Ramu–Lower Sepik languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sepik-Ramu languages}}
[[Category:Sepik–Ramu languages| ]]
[[Category:Proposed language families]]
[[Category:Papuan languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Papua New Guinea]]