Monumbo language

Jump to content
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monumbo
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionBogia District, Madang Province
Native speakers
410 (2003)[1]
Torricelli – Sepik Coast
Language codes
ISO 639-3mxk
Glottolognucl1458
ELPMonumbo

Monumbo is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea. There is an early description in German.[2] It is closely related to Lilau.

Phonology

[edit]

Mambuwan consonants are:[3]

Consonants
LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarUvular
Nasalmnŋ
Plosivevoicelessptkq
prenasalizedᵐbⁿdᵑɡ
Fricativevoicelesss
voicedzɣ
Rhoticr
Approximantwlj

Mambuwan vowels are:[3]

Vowels
FrontCentralBack
Closeiu
Close-Mideəo
Open-Midɛɔ
Opena

Grammar

[edit]

Monumbo distinguishes five gender classes for singular and dual third-person pronouns, but only two gender classes (masculine and feminine) for third-person plural pronouns, a typologically unusual feature. There are five genders for the third-person pronoun, which are masculine, feminine, neutral, diminutive, and miscellaneous genders.[3]

Mambuwan subject agreement prefixes are:[3]

sgdupl
1a-i-i-
2si- ~ su-u-u-
3Mni- ~ nu-ma-gi-
3Fw-wa-
3Ni-ma-bo-
3DIMmi-ba-
3OTHERgi-ga-

Mambuwan has a general oblique case marker –unum ~ -Cusum for nouns:[3]

ŋait-unum
fire-OBL
‘in/at/with/through fire’

Mambuwan also makes use of postpositions such as ŋaŋ ‘inside’:[3]

su ŋaŋ
water inside
‘in the water’

Mambuwan has highly complex verbal inflection.[3]

Nouns

[edit]

Some Mambuwan nouns and their respective plural forms:[3]

glosssingularplural
‘mouth’alakamalakambo
‘leg’sabosabo
‘thorn’pupukpupuka
‘door’kigikigika
‘stream’susuga
‘crab’dɔradɔrage
‘name’inuinuore
‘beach’lulululuore
‘coconut’dɛip
‘island’motmotiwe
‘hand’naŋdabinaŋdabian

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Monumbo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Vormann, Franz and Scharfenberger, Wilhel. 1914. Die Monumbo-Sprache: Grammatik und Worterverzeichnis
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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.
    Monumbo
    Native toPapua New Guinea
    RegionBogia District, Madang Province
    Native speakers
    410 (2003)[1]
    Torricelli – Sepik Coast
    Language codes
    ISO 639-3mxk
    Glottolognucl1458
    ELPMonumbo

    Monumbo is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea. There is an early description in German.[2] It is closely related to Lilau.

    Phonology

    Mambuwan consonants are:[3]

    Consonants
    LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarUvular
    Nasalmnŋ
    Plosivevoicelessptkq
    prenasalizedᵐbⁿdᵑɡ
    Fricativevoicelesss
    voicedzɣ
    Rhoticr
    Approximantwlj

    Mambuwan vowels are:[3]

    Vowels
    FrontCentralBack
    Closeiu
    Close-Mideəo
    Open-Midɛɔ
    Opena

    Grammar

    Monumbo distinguishes five gender classes for singular and dual third-person pronouns, but only two gender classes (masculine and feminine) for third-person plural pronouns, a typologically unusual feature. There are five genders for the third-person pronoun, which are masculine, feminine, neutral, diminutive, and miscellaneous genders.[3]

    Mambuwan subject agreement prefixes are:[3]

    sgdupl
    1a-i-i-
    2si- ~ su-u-u-
    3Mni- ~ nu-ma-gi-
    3Fw-wa-
    3Ni-ma-bo-
    3DIMmi-ba-
    3OTHERgi-ga-

    Mambuwan has a general oblique case marker –unum ~ -Cusum for nouns:[3]

    ŋait-unum
    fire-OBL
    ‘in/at/with/through fire’

    Mambuwan also makes use of postpositions such as ŋaŋ ‘inside’:[3]

    su ŋaŋ
    water inside
    ‘in the water’

    Mambuwan has highly complex verbal inflection.[3]

    Nouns

    Some Mambuwan nouns and their respective plural forms:[3]

    glosssingularplural
    ‘mouth’alakamalakambo
    ‘leg’sabosabo
    ‘thorn’pupukpupuka
    ‘door’kigikigika
    ‘stream’susuga
    ‘crab’dɔradɔrage
    ‘name’inuinuore
    ‘beach’lulululuore
    ‘coconut’dɛip
    ‘island’motmotiwe
    ‘hand’naŋdabinaŋdabian

    References

    1. ^ Monumbo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    2. ^ Vormann, Franz and Scharfenberger, Wilhel. 1914. Die Monumbo-Sprache: Grammatik und Worterverzeichnis
    3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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.
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monumbo_language&oldid=1330656630"