Suarmin language
Suarmin | |
---|---|
Asaba | |
Native to | Papua New Guinea |
Region | Sandaun Province |
Native speakers | 140 (2000)[1] |
Sepik
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | seo |
Glottolog | suar1238 |
ELP | Asaba |
Suarmin, or Asaba, is a Sepik language spoken in Sandaun Province, Papua-New Guinea. Alternative names are Asabano, Akiapmin, Duranmin.
Glottolog leaves it unclassified.
Pronouns[]
Pronouns are:[2]
sg du pl 1incl adi abe 1excl a nadi nesine 2 abo abodua apa 3 yo atadua ata
Noun classes[]
In Asaba, noun class affixes are suffixed to nouns. There are five noun classes. Examples:[2]
class singular (ex.) plural (ex.) gloss (ex.) class 1 nu-bu nu-le house(s) class 2 mena-du mena-no pig(s) class 3 kabia-si kabia-le stone(s) class 4 moko-ni moko-le fork(s) class 5 nomo-so nomo-l stone adze(s)
Class 1 is the default noun class.
Modifying adjectives agree with head nouns in class:[2]
na-bu kamaya-bu tree-I.SG big-I.SG
- ‘tall tree’
kaiyebe-du kamaya-du cassowary-II.SG big-II.SG
- ‘big cassowary’
References[]
- ^ Suarmin at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
- ^ Jump up to: a b c 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. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
Categories:
- Papi–Asaba languages
- Languages of Sandaun Province
- Language isolates of New Guinea