Ramu languages
Encyclopedia
The Ramu languages are a family
of some thirty languages of northern Papua New Guinea
. They were identified as a family by John Z'graggen in 1971, and linked with the Sepik languages
by Donald Laycock
two years later. Malcolm Ross
(2005) classifies them as one branch of a Ramu – Lower Sepik language family, and suggests that the Piawi languages
may form part of the family. Z'graggen had included the Yuat languages
, but that now seems doubtful. Ethnologue (2009) removes them, along with Mongol–Langam and Arafundi (which Ross accepts), and classifies them as independent families.
paradigm
s, and Ethnologue only accepts the inclusion of Tamolan and Annaberg. The addition of Piawi
is tentative.
Ethnologue
(2009) lists Mongol–Langam, Arafundi, and Piawi as independent families. Their family tree shows Kambot (Ap Ma) not as a Keram language but as a third branch of Ramu – Lower Sepik; however, the comment that Adjora (Abu) is "most closely related to Banaro and Ap Ma" suggests that this may simply be one of the automated formatting errors that plagues Ethnologues tables.
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
of some thirty languages of northern Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. They were identified as a family by John Z'graggen in 1971, and linked with the Sepik languages
Sepik languages
-Pronouns:The pronouns Ross reconstructs for proto-Sepik are:Note the similarities of the dual and plural suffixes with those of the Torricelli languages.-See also:*Papuan languages*Sepik–Ramu languages*Donald Laycock...
by Donald Laycock
Donald Laycock
Dr Donald Laycock was an Australian linguist and anthropologist. He is best remembered for his work on the languages of Papua New Guinea.-Biography:...
two years later. Malcolm Ross
Malcolm Ross
Malcolm David Ross is a linguist and professor at the Australian National University. He has published work on Austronesian and Papuan languages, historical linguistics, and language contact.-External links:**...
(2005) classifies them as one branch of a Ramu – Lower Sepik language family, and suggests that the Piawi languages
Piawi languages
The Piawi languages are a small independent family of Papuan languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross, that had been part of Stephen Wurm's Trans–New Guinea proposal.-Classification:Piawi consists of only two languages:...
may form part of the family. Z'graggen had included the Yuat languages
Yuat languages
The Yuat languages are an independent family of six Papuan languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross that had been part of Stephen Wurm's Sepik–Ramu proposal. However, there is no lexical or morphological evidence that the families are related....
, but that now seems doubtful. Ethnologue (2009) removes them, along with Mongol–Langam and Arafundi (which Ross accepts), and classifies them as independent families.
Classification
The small families listed below in boldface are clearly valid units. The first five, sometimes classified together as Lower Ramu, are relatable through lexical data, so their relationship is widely accepted. The other four traditional Ramu families have only been connected through their pronounPronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
paradigm
Paradigm
The word paradigm has been used in science to describe distinct concepts. It comes from Greek "παράδειγμα" , "pattern, example, sample" from the verb "παραδείκνυμι" , "exhibit, represent, expose" and that from "παρά" , "beside, beyond" + "δείκνυμι" , "to show, to point out".The original Greek...
s, and Ethnologue only accepts the inclusion of Tamolan and Annaberg. The addition of Piawi
Piawi languages
The Piawi languages are a small independent family of Papuan languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross, that had been part of Stephen Wurm's Trans–New Guinea proposal.-Classification:Piawi consists of only two languages:...
is tentative.
Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
(2009) lists Mongol–Langam, Arafundi, and Piawi as independent families. Their family tree shows Kambot (Ap Ma) not as a Keram language but as a third branch of Ramu – Lower Sepik; however, the comment that Adjora (Abu) is "most closely related to Banaro and Ap Ma" suggests that this may simply be one of the automated formatting errors that plagues Ethnologues tables.
Pronouns
The pronouns reconstructed by Ross for Proto-Ramu are:| I | *aŋko, *ni | we two | *a-ŋk-a | we | *ai, *nai, *a-ni, *na-ni |
| thou | *un, *nu | you two | *o-ŋk-oa, *no-ŋk-oa | you | *ne, *u-ni, *nu-ni |
| s/he | *man | they two | *mani-ŋk ? | they | *mə, *nda, *manda |