Kwomtari language

Kwomtari is the eponymous language of the Kwomtari family of Papua New Guinea.

Kwomtari
Native toPapua New Guinea
Native speakers
600 (1998)[1]
Senu River
  • Kwomtari–Nai
    • Kwomtari
Language codes
ISO 639-3kwo
Glottolognucl1593
ELPKwomtari[2]
Coordinates: 3.596084°S 141.361577°E / -3.596084; 141.361577 (Kwomtari)

Spencer (2008) is a short grammar of Kwomtari. The language has an SOV 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.[3]

Locations

Ethnologue lists Kwomtari as spoken in six villages in Komtari (Kwomtari) ward (3.596084°S 141.361577°E / -3.596084; 141.361577 (Kwomtari)), Amanab Rural LLG, Sandaun Province.[4][5]

Baron (2007) lists Kwomtari-speaking villages as Mango, Kwomtari, Baiberi, Yenabi, Yau'uri, and Wagroni.[6]

Phonology
Consonant phonemes of Kwontari[7]
  Bilabial Alveolar Retroflex Velar
Stop p b t k ɡ
Nasal m n
Fricative ɸ s
Trill 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 ].

Vowel phonemes of Kwontari[8]
  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
  1. Kwomtari at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Endangered Languages Project data for Kwomtari.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
  6. Baron, Wietze (October 2007). "The Kwomtari Phylum". Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  7. 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.
  8. Drew (1998).
  9. Foley (1986:54)
  • Baron, Wietze (1983). "Kwomtari survey" (PDF). Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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