The Marind–Yaqai (Marind–Yakhai) languages are a well established language family of Papuan languages, spoken by the Marind-anim. They form part of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classifications of Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross, and were established as part of the Anim branch of TNG by Timothy Usher.
| Marind–Yakhai | |
|---|---|
| Marind | |
| Ethnicity | Marind people |
| Geographic distribution | South Papua |
| Linguistic classification | Trans–New Guinea |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | mari1437 |
 Map: The Marind–Yaqai languages of New Guinea
The Marind and Yaqai languages
Other Trans–New Guinea languages
Other Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Uninhabited | |
Languages edit
The languages are:
- Marind–Yaqai
Proto-language edit
Phonemes edit
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:[2]
*m *n *p *t *k *b *d *g *mb *nd *ŋg *s *h *w *ɾ *j *ɣ
Vowels are *a *e *i *o *u.
Pronouns edit
The pronouns are:[1]
sg pl 1 *nok ? 2 *oɣ *eoɣ 3m *anep *anip 3f *anup
Classification edit
The Marind languages were partially identified by Sidney Herbert Ray and JHP Murray in 1918; the family was filled out by JHMC Boelaars in 1950. It was incorporated into Trans–New Guinea by Stephen Wurm in 1975.
The Boazi languages were formerly classified as Marind.
Evolution edit
Marind reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma:[3]
- kase ‘saliva’ < pTNG *kasipa ‘spit’
- maŋgat ‘mouth’ < *maŋgat[a]
- mudu-meŋ ‘belly’ < *mundu-maŋgV ‘heart’
- mokom ‘fruit, seed’ < *maŋgV
- saŋga ‘hand, finger, arm’ < *sa(ŋg,k)(a,i)l ‘hand, claw’
- sâ ‘sand’ < *sa(ŋg,k)asiŋ
- de ‘tree’ < *inda
- iwar ‘wind’ < *kumbutu
- kuyu ‘cassowary’ < *ku(y)a
See also edit
Further reading edit
- Drabbe, Petrus. 1950. Twee dialecten van de Awju-taal [Two dialects of the Awyu language]. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 106: 92–147.
- Drabbe, Petrus. 1954a. Comparative Vocabulary 100 words in 24 languages. Posieux/Fribourg: Instituut Anthropos.
- Drabbe, Petrus. 1954b. Talen en dialecten van zuid-west Nieuw-Guinea [Languages and Dialects of Southwest New Guinea]. Posieux/Fribourg: Instituut Anthropos.
- Drabbe, Petrus. 1955. Spraakkunst van het Marind: Zuidkust Nederlands Nieuw-Guinea [A Grammar of Marind: South Coast of New Guinea]. Wien-Mödling: Drukkerij van het Missiehuis St. Gabriël.
References edit
- ^ a b New Guinea World, Fly River
- ^ New Guinea World, Marind–Yakhai
- ^ Pawley, Andrew; Hammarström, Harald (2018). "The Trans New Guinea family". 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. 21–196. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
- 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.
External links edit
- Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Proto–Marind–Yakhai