Kwomtari is the eponymous language of the Kwomtari family of Papua New Guinea.
| Kwomtari | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
Native speakers | (600 cited 1998)[1] |
Senu River
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kwo |
| Glottolog | nucl1593 |
| ELP | Kwomtari |
| Coordinates: 3°35′46″S 141°21′42″E / 3.596084°S 141.361577°E | |
Spencer (2008) is a short grammar of Kwomtari. The language has an SOV[clarification needed] constituent order and nominative–accusative alignment. Both subjects and objects are marked suffixally on the verb. Verbs are inflected for status (mood) rather than for tense or aspect.[2]
Locations
editEthnologue lists Kwomtari as spoken in six villages in Komtari (Kwomtari) ward (3°35′46″S 141°21′42″E / 3.596084°S 141.361577°E), Amanab Rural LLG, Sandaun Province.[3][4]
Baron (2007) lists Kwomtari-speaking villages as Mango, Kwomtari, Baiberi, Yenabi, Yau'uri, and Wagroni.[5]
Phonology
edit| Bilabial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t | k ɡ | |
| Nasal | m | n | ||
| Fricative | ɸ | s | ||
| Trill | ʙ[7] | r | ||
| Lateral | ɭ |
The phoneme /ɸ/ is realized as a voiced bilabial fricative [β] intervocalically and voiceless bilabial fricative [ɸ] elsewhere. The realization of the phoneme /ɭ/ is in free variation between a voiced retroflex lateral [ɭ] and a voiced retroflex stop [ɖ].
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Lowered Close | i̞ | u̞ | |
| Mid | ə | ||
| Open-Mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Open | a |
The unusual vowel phonemes /i̞/ and /u̞/ are of intermediate height between cardinal [i]/[u] and [e]/[o] respectively but without the centralization present in [ɪ] and [ʊ]. They have also been attested in Weri, a Goilalan language of south-east Papua, and certain Dani dialects.[9]
References
edit- ^ Kwomtari at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Spencer, Katharine (2008). "Kwomtari grammar essentials". In Murray Honsberger, Carol Honsberger and Ian Tupper (ed.). Kwomtari phonology and grammar essentials. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: SIL-PNG Academic Publications. pp. 53–180. ISBN 978-9980-0-3426-7.
- ^ 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.
- ^ United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
- ^ Baron, Wietze (October 2007). "The Kwomtari Phylum". Retrieved 2019-09-22.
- ^ Drew, Julia (1998). "Kwontari Phonology Essentials". In Murray Honsberger, Carol Honsberger and Ian Tupper. Kwomtari phonology and grammar essentials. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: SIL-PNG Academic Publications. ISBN 9980-0-3426-2.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Drew (1998).
- ^ Foley (1986:54)
- Baron, Wietze (1983). "Kwomtari survey" (PDF).
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