Upper Sepik languages
| Upper Sepik | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Sandaun Province and western East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea |
| Linguistic classification | Sepik
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | None woga1248 (Wogamusin-Chenapian) abau1245 (Abau) |
The Upper Sepik languages are a group of languages generally classified among the Sepik languages of northern Papua New Guinea.[1]
They include the Wogamus languages and Iwam languages. Foley (2018) also includes Abau.[1]
Languages
The Upper Sepik languages are:
Being typologically and lexically diverse, the three groups are not closely related to each other.[1] Even pronouns in the three groups do not appear to be cognate. Foley classifies the three groups together on the basis of a unique noun classification system present in the numeral systems of all three groups, with numerals up to ‘four’ agreeing with the classes of head nouns (see Wogamus languages#Noun classes). Additionally, Foley considers Sepik Iwam and Wogamusin noun class prefixes to be likely cognate with each other. Abau is more divergent, but its inclusion by Foley (2018) is based on the similarity of Abau verbal morphology to that of the Iwam languages.
Foley observes that much of the lexicon and pronouns of Upper Sepik languages do not derive from proto-Sepik.[1]
Numerals
Upper Sepik numerals are:[1]
gloss Abau Sepik Iwam Wogamusin Chenapian ‘one’ -eyn ~ -mon ~ -ron -or -Vd -rə ‘two’ -(r)eys -is -us -si ‘three’ -(r)ompri -um -um -mu
References
- 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.