Waris language

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Waris
Spoken in: Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea; Papua province, Indonesia
Total speakers: 4,000
Language family: Border
 Waris
  Waris 
Writing system: Latin alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: paa
ISO/FDIS 639-3: wrs

Waris or Walsa is a Papuan language spoken by about 2,500 people around Wasengla, Amanab District, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea, as well as about 1,500 across the border in the Indonesian province of Papua.

Contents

[edit] Phonology

[edit] Vowels

[edit] Monophthongs

Front Central Back
Close i u
Close-mid e
Mid ə
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Near-open æ
Open a ɒ

[edit] Diphthongs and triphthongs

Vi Vu
iV
ɛV ɛɔ ɛu
ɑV ɑi ɑɔ
ɒV ɒi
ɔV ɔi ɔɑ
uV ui

There are two triphthongs, /ɔɑi/ and /uɛu/.

[edit] Consonants

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Stop Voiceless p t k
Prenasalised mb ⁿd ŋg
Nasal m n
Fricative Voiceless s x
Voiced β
Trill r
Lateral approximant l
Approximant w j

[edit] References

  • Brown, Robert (1981). “Semantic aspects of some Waris predications”, Karl J. Franklin: Syntax and semantics in Papua New Guinea languages. Ukarumpa: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 93–123.
  • Brown, Robert (1988). "Waris case system and verb classification". Language and Linguistics in Melanesia 19: 37–80.
  • Brown, Robert, Honoratus Wai (1986). Diksenari: Walsana moa Pisinna moa Englisna moa (A short dictionary of the Walsa [Waris] language, Tok Pisin and English). Ukarumpa: Summer Institute of Linguistics.

[edit] External links