Ramu languages
| Ramu | |
|---|---|
| Keram and Ramu Rivers | |
| Geographic distribution | New Guinea |
| Linguistic classification | Ramu–Lower Sepik
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | ramu1234 (reduced)[1] |
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. Z'graggen had included the Yuat languages, but that now seems doubtful.
Classification[edit]
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.[2]
Languages of the Ottilien family share plural morphology with Nor–Pondo.
- Late 20th century
| Ramu |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Laycock (1973) included the Arafundi family, apparently impressionistically, but Arafundi is poorly known. Ross (2005) retains it in Ramu without comment, but Foley (2005) and Usher reject inclusion. Laycock (1973) also includes the Piawi languages as a branch, but Ross (2005), Foley (2005) and Usher all reject their inclusion.
- 21st century (Usher)
Usher breaks up the Grass/Keram family. His classification of Ramu (with both his own and traditional names) as of 2018 is as follows:[3]
- Ramu and Keram Rivers
- Keram River
- Ambakich (Aion)
- Ap Ma (Kambot)
- Mongol–Langam (West Keram River)
- Ramu River
- Banaro
- Guam and Moam Rivers
- Guam River (Tamolan)
- Moam River (Ataitan)
- Lower Ramu River
- Ramu Coast (Ottilien)
- Ruboni Range (Misegian)
- Middle Ramu River (Annaberg)
- Porapora (Grass proper)
Pronouns[edit]
The pronouns reconstructed by Ross (2005) 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
References[edit]
- ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Ramu". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- ^ "Famille des langues ramu-bas-sepik « Sorosoro". www.sorosoro.org. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Ramu and Keram Rivers - newguineaworld". sites.google.com. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson. Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.
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