Iwam language
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May River Iwam, often simply referred to as Iwam, is a language of East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.
It is spoken in Iyomempwi (Script error: No such module "Coordinates".), Mowi (Script error: No such module "Coordinates".), and Premai villages of Tunap/Hunstein Rural LLG in East Sepik Province, and other villages on the May River.[1][2]
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | |
| Mid | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link |
| Open | Template:IPA link |
In non-final positions, Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA"., Script error: No such module "IPA"., and Script error: No such module "IPA". are Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, and Template:IPAblink, respectively. Script error: No such module "IPA". appears only in nonfinal syllables. When adjacent to nasal consonants, vowels are nasalized; nasalization may also occur when adjacent to word boundaries.[3]
Consonants
Script error: No such module "IPA". and Script error: No such module "IPA". are voiced fricatives (Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink) respectively) when intervocalic and unreleased when final (Script error: No such module "IPA". is also unreleased when final). Script error: No such module "IPA". is a nasal flap (Template:IPAblink) word-initially and between vowels. Script error: No such module "IPA". is Template:IPAblink initially and may otherwise be palatalized Template:IPAblink.[3] Sequences of any consonant and Script error: No such module "IPA". are neutralized before Script error: No such module "IPA". where an offglide is always heard.
Phonotactics
Bilabial and velar consonants and Script error: No such module "IPA". may be followed by Script error: No such module "IPA". when initial. Other initial clusters include Script error: No such module "IPA"., Script error: No such module "IPA"., Script error: No such module "IPA"., Script error: No such module "IPA"., and Script error: No such module "IPA". and final clusters are Script error: No such module "IPA". or Script error: No such module "IPA". followed by any consonant except for Script error: No such module "IPA". or Script error: No such module "IPA"..[3]
Pronouns
May River Iwam pronouns:[4]Template:Rp
sg du pl 1 ka/ani kərər kərəm 2 ki kor kom 3m si sor səm 3f sa
Noun classes
Like the Wogamus languages, May River Iwam has five noun classes:[4]
class semantic category prefix example class 1 male human referents nu- (adult males);
ru- (uninitiated or immature males)yenkam nu-t
man class.1-one
‘one man’class 2 female human, children,
or other animate referentsa(o)- owi a-ois
duck class.2-two
‘two ducks’class 3 large objects kwu- ana kwu-(o)t
hand class.3-one
‘a big hand’class 4 small objects ha- ana ha-(o)t
hand class.4-one
‘a small hand’class 5 long objects hwu- ana hwu-(o)t
hand class.5-one
‘a long hand’
As shown by the example above for ana ‘hand’, a noun can take on different classes depending on the physical characteristics being emphasized.
Verbal morphology
May river Iwam has four periodic tense suffixes: matutinal -yok, diurnal -harok, postmeridial -tep and nocturnal -wae.[5]
Vocabulary
The following basic vocabulary words of Iwam are from Foley (2005)[6] and Laycock (1968),[7] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[8]
gloss Iwam head mu ear wun eye nu nose nomwos tooth piknu tongue kwane leg wərku; wɨrku louse ŋən; nɨn dog nwa pig hu bird owit egg yen blood ni bone keew; kew skin pəw breast muy tree pae(kap); paykap man kam; yen-kam woman wik sun pi moon pwan water op; o(p) fire pay stone siya eat (n)ai; (nd)ai one oe; ruk; su two ŋwis
Notes
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- ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e Template:Harvcoltxt
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Foley (2018:286), Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Foley, W.A. "Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik-Ramu basin". In Pawley, A., Attenborough, R., Golson, J. and Hide, R. editors, Papuan Pasts: Cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. PL-572:109-144. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 2005.
- ↑ Laycock, Donald C. 1968. Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
- Materials on Sepic Iwam are included in the open access Arthur Capell collections (AC1) held by Paradisec.
References
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Template:Sepik languages Template:Languages of Papua New Guinea