Tawala language

Tawala
Spoken in Papua New Guinea
Region Milne Bay Province
Native speakers 10,000  (date missing)
Language family
Language codes
ISO 639-2 tbo
ISO 639-3 tbo
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Tawala is one of the 48 languages spoken in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.[1] The language is spoken by approximately 10,000 people who live in hamlets and small villages on the East Cape peninsula, on the shores of Milne Bay and on areas of the islands of Sideia and Basilaki. There are approximately 40 main centres of population each speaking the same dialect, although through the process of colonisation some centres have gained more prominence than others.[2]

Contents

Phonology

Tawala has a moderately small consonant inventory of 15 consonants, an average vowel quality inventory of five vowels, and an also average consonant-vowel ratio of 3.[3]

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Retroflex Velar Glottal
Plosive p  b t  d k  g Ɂ
Labialised Plosive pw  bw kw  gw
Nasal m n
Labialised Nasal mw
Fricative s h
Approximant j l ɰ

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a

Morphology

Pronouns

Tawala distinguishes three persons: first, second and third. There are only two grammatical numbers, singular and plural although first person plural makes a distinction between inclusive and exclusive.[6]
Although there are five classes of pronouns in Tawala only the independent pronouns class should be considered as pronouns proper as they are the only class consisting of free forms. The remaining four classes occur with independent pronouns in a phrase. [7]

Independent Pronouns

Person Number
Singular Plural
1INC tau tauta
1EXCL tauyai
2 tam taumi
3 tauna tauhi

Subject Prefix and Object Enclitic

Subject prefixes and object enclitics attach to a verb to mark person and number of both subject and object respectively.

1SG 2SG 3SG 1PL.INC 1PL.EXC 2PL 3PL
Object Enclitic -u/we -m -ni/ya -ta -yai -mi -hi
Subject Prefix a- u- i- ta- to- o- hi-

Example: The following examples demonstrate the use of some of the above personal pronouns in context.

Tauhi hai mae hi-nonogo-ge-ni.
they their stay 3PL-prepare-TRV-3SG
"They prepared their residence."

Possession

Tawala distinguishes alienable and inalienable possession.

Possessive Pronouns

Alienable possession is constructed by a free-standing possessive pronoun that marks the person and number of the possessor.

Person Number
Singular Plural
1INC u ata
1EXCL i
2 om omi
3 a hai

Example: The following examples demonstrate the use of some of the above personal pronouns in context.

Lawa hai tano hi-dewa-hi.
person POSS.3PL garden 3PL-make-3PL
"The people made their gardens."
Pronominal Enclitics

Inalienable possession is constructed by attaching a pronominal enclitic to the possessed noun.

Person Number
Singular Plural
1INC -u/we -ta
1EXCL -yai
2 -m -mi
3 -na -hi

Example: The following examples demonstrate the use of some of the above personal pronouns in context.

polo ae-na
pig leg-POSS.3SG
"The pig's leg."

References

  1. ^ Tawala language at Ethnologue
  2. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 6
  3. ^ http://wals.info/index, chapters 1-3
  4. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 29
  5. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 32
  6. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 72
  7. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 72
  8. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 73
  9. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 73
  10. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 73-74
  11. ^ Ezrad 1997, p. 73

External Links

Tawala Language at Ethnologue

Bibliography

Ezrad, B 1997, A grammar of Tawala: an Austronesian language of the Milne Bay area, Papua New Guinea, The Australian National University, Canberra.
WALS Online 2011, viewed October 15, 2011, <http://wals.info/>.