Nor–Pondo

Lower Sepik languages

Lower Sepik languages

Language family of Papua New Guinea

The Lower Sepik a.k.a. Nor–Pondo languages are a small language family of East Sepik Province in northern Papua New Guinea. They were identified as a family by K Laumann in 1951 under the name Nor–Pondo, and included in Donald Laycock's now-defunct 1973 Sepik–Ramu family.

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...

Classification

The original conception of the family, under the name Nor–Pondo, is as follows:

 Nor–Pondo 
 Nor family 

Murik (Nor)

Kopar

 Pondo family 

Chambri

Karawari (Tabriak), Yimas

Angoram (Pondo)

Malcolm Ross (2005) broke up the Nor branch (and thus renamed the family Lower Sepik) because Murik does not share the characteristic /p/s of the first- and second-person pronouns of Kopar and the Pondo languages, so the latter may form a group: Murik vs Kopar–Pondo. Ross classified Lower Sepik as one branch of a Ramu–Lower Sepik language family.

Foley (2005) tentatively proposes that Chambri and Angoram may be primary branches: Nor, Chambari, Karawari–Yimas, Angoram. Usher, following Foley, keeps Nor together and breaks up Pondo.[1] Neither accept the connection to Ramu.

Foley (2018) and Usher (2020)

Foley (2018) and Usher (2020) agree on the following classification.[2][3]

Lower Sepik family

Foley notes that Angoram appears to be closer to Murik–Kopar, and Chambri to Karawari–Yimas, but Foley (2018: 213) leaves them as separate branches pending further evidence.

Phonology

Except for Yimas-Karawari, Lower Sepik languages typically have the following six-vowel system.[4]

iu
eəo
a

Yimas-Karawari has only four vowels.[4]

iu
ə
a

Proto-language

Quick Facts Proto-Lower Sepik, Reconstruction of ...

Pronouns

The pronouns reconstructed for the proto-language are,

Proto–Lower Sepik (Ross)
I*amawe two*ka-i, *ka-piawe few*(p)a-ŋk-i-twe all*a-i, *a-pia, *i-pi
thou*nɨmiyou two*ka-u, *ka-puayou few*(p)a-ŋk-u-tyou all*a-u, *a-pu, *i-pu(a)
s/he*mɨnthey two*mɨnɨmp ? (M),
*mpɨ ? (F)		they few*mɨŋkɨ-tthey all*mump (M),
*pum (F)
Proto-Nor–Pondo (Foley)
I*amawe two*ka-i, *ka-pa-iwe few*(pa)ŋk-itwe all*a-i, *a-pa-i, *(y)i-i, *(y)i-pa-i
thou*miyou two*ka-u, *ka-pa-uyou few*(pa)ŋk-utyou all*a-u, *a-pa-u, *(y)i-u, *(y)i-pa-u
s/he*mənthey two ?they few*mɨŋkɨthey all*mump ?

Lexicon

A phonological reconstruction of proto-Lower Sepik has been proposed by Foley (2005).[4] Foley's (2005) lexical reconstructions are provided below.

Proto-Lower Sepik reconstructions by Foley (2005)
More information gloss, proto-Lower Sepik ...

For comparisons with the language isolate Tayap, see Tayap language#Classification.

Footnotes

  1. [1]
    NewGuineaWorld - Lower Sepik River
  2. [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.
  3. [3]
    Lower Sepik River, New Guinea World
  4. [4]
    Foley, William A. (2005). "Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik-Ramu basin". 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. 109–144. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.

Further reading

Wiktionary has a list of reconstructed forms at Appendix:Proto-Lower Sepik reconstructions
  • Proto-Lower-Sepik. TransNewGuinea.org. From (1) Foley, W.A. 1986. The Papuan languages of New Guinea, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ; (2) Foley, W.A. 1986. The Papuan languages of New Guinea, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Abbott, S. "Nor-Pondo lexicostatistical survey". In Adams, K., Lauck, L., Miedema, J., Welling, F., Stokhof, W., Flassy, D., Oguri, H., Collier, K., Gregerson, K., Phinnemore, T., Scorza, D., Davies, J., Comrie, B. and Abbott, S. editors, Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 22. A-63:313-338. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1985. doi:10.15144/PL-A63.313

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.
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