Sogeram languages

The Sogeram languages are a family of languages in the Madang stock of New Guinea. They are named after the Sogeram River.[1]

Sogeram
Sogeram River Wanang
Geographic distribution	Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification	Madang West Madang Southern Adelbert Sogeram
Glottolog	soge1235

In earlier classifications, such as that of Wurm, most of the Sogeram family were called "Wanang", after the Wanang River. The exceptions were Faita, placed as a separate branch of the Southern Adelbert languages, and Mum–Sirva (then called the "Sikan" family), which were classified with the other branch, Josephstaal (Tomui River).

Languages

Daniels (2016) classifies the Sogeram languages in three branches, including some recently documented languages.[2]

Sogeram

• West Sogeram
  • Mand
  • Nend
• Central Segeram
  • Manat
  • Apalɨ
  • North Cental Sogeram (Sikan): Mum, Sirva
• "East" Sogeram
  • Gants
  • Kursav
  • Aisian: Magɨ, Aisi

Daniels (2017), following Pawley, resolves the issue of Gants by classifying it as East Sogeram, closest to Kursav though he refrains from claiming the two languages form a clade. He notes that the name "East Sogeram" is no longer geographically appropriate, as Gants would be the westernmost Sogeram language.[3]

Recently discovered Magɨyi may also be a Sogeram language, with the forms of identified cognates closest to Mum.[4]

Because these languages form a chain, where each influences its neighbors, the branching of the family is not clear. Usher divides the languages in nearly the same way, differing only in the placement of Manat:[1]

• Sogeram River
  • West Sogeram River
    • Atemple–Nend: Atemble (Atemple, Mand), Nend (Angaua)
    • Paynamar (Manat)
  • Central Sogeram River
    • Apali (Emerum)
    • Mum–Sirva: Mum (Katiati), Sileibi (Sirva)
  • South Sogeram River
    • Faita (Kulsab/Kursav)
    • Gants
    • Musak (Aisi)

Pronouns

Daniels reconstructs the pronouns as follows:[3]

	sg	pl
1	*ya	*a-ra
2	*na	*na-ra
3	*nu/*nɨ	*nɨ-ra

Compare Ross's proto-Madang singular pronouns *ya, *na, *nu/*ua.

References

1. New Guinea World, Sogeram River
2. Daniels, Don. 2016. Magɨ: An undocumented language of Papua New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics 55: 199-224.
3. Daniels, Don. 2017. Gants is a Sogeram Language. Language and Linguistics in Melanesia 35: 82-93.
4. ISO code request 2013-029

Further reading

• Proto-Sogeram. TransNewGuinea.org. From Daniels, D. 2010. A preliminary phonological history of the Sogeram languages of Papua New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 49, 163-193.
• Proto-Central-Sogeram. TransNewGuinea.org. From Daniels, D. 2010. A preliminary phonological history of the Sogeram languages of Papua New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 49, 163-193.
• Proto-Eastern-Sogeram. TransNewGuinea.org. From Daniels, D. 2010. A preliminary phonological history of the Sogeram languages of Papua New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 49, 163-193.
• Proto-Western-Sogeram. TransNewGuinea.org. From Daniels, D. 2010. A preliminary phonological history of the Sogeram languages of Papua New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 49, 163-193.