Bulaka River languages
The Bulaka River languages are a pair of closely related Papuan languages, Yelmek and Maklew, on the Bulaka River in Indonesian West Papua. They are ethnically Yab (Jab); their speech is Yabga (Jabga).
| Bulaka River | |
|---|---|
| Yelmek–Maklew Jabga | |
| Ethnicity | Jab (Yab) |
| Geographic distribution | Tubang and Ilwayab subdistricts, Bulaka River watershed, Merauke Regency, Papua |
| Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families |
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | bula1259 |
 Map: The Bulaka River languages of New Guinea
The Bulaka River languages
Trans–New Guinea languages
Other Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Uninhabited | |
Languages
Yelmek is spoken west of Merauke, between the Digul River and Mbian River, (from north to south) in the villages of Wanam, Bibikem, Woboyo, and Dodalim.
Maklew is spoken in Welbuti village.[1] The former two villages are located in Ilwayab subdistrict, and the latter three in Tubang subdistrict.
Classification
The two languages are transparently related.
Ross (2005) tentatively included them in the proposed Trans-Fly – Bulaka River family, but Usher, who reconstructs that family, does not connect Bulaka River to any other language family.[2]
Proto-language
Phonology
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows.[2] Although the modern inventories of Yelmek and Maklew are nearly identical, the lack of a one-to-one correspondence between them suggests the ancestral inventory was somewhat larger. Usher posits a series of palatal consonants *ɲ *c *ɟ to handle the correspondences of alveolar in Yelmek with velar in Maklew (n~ŋ, t~k, d~g), plus *j for j~s, *w for w~h, *ɣ̃ for ŋ~h, and *s for t~s (found in loans).
*m *n *ɲ *ŋ *p *t *c *k *b *d *ɟ *g [*s] *w *l *j *ɣ̃
*i *u *e *ə *o *a
Pronouns
Usher (2020) reconstructs the pronouns as:[2]
sg pl 1 *ŋ[e]l *ŋag 2 *au (?) *ale (?) 3 *eb *em[e]l
Lexicon
Proto-Bulaka River lexical reconstructions by Usher (2014) are:[3]
gloss Proto-Bulaka River afraid *oio ankle *boto ant *kani[a/e] ashes *kab ask about *lig(-) ask for *liw back *uele bamboo *biol banana *okal bandicoot *jowoli bathe *jale be (future) *ŋaiak be hungry *ɣi beach *uelo big *bala- bitter *ipa blood *ewlek[e] blunt/dull *map body/chest *agal bone/shin *pu branch *kaka breadfruit *joko break (rope) *[a]ŋeme break (wood) *maɣe breast *momo breath *waku bush/forest *golu canoe *imo cassowary *owi child/offspring *iaŋ coconut *mi[a/o] coconut shell *apina cold *ioɣ[a] cough/sneeze *ŋot[o] crocodile *iaua[ŋ] crooked/turn *meŋ dark/black *ɟewi (day)light *owo deep *dam dig *k[o]uak dog *num dream *ŋeɣe drink/suck *[a]ŋ[e] dry *ua- ear *opo-kolo earthquake *ŋ[a/o]ɣum[o] enemy *kui excrement *de, *gauo eye/face *opo feather *papa fence *molo fire *ace fish *dem, *dam fly (n.) *uoli fly (v.) *mu foot/leg *uodo forehead *cule fruit *noma go up *ukal good/true *ŋama- grab/hold *[a]ɣep[e] grandparent *kaga hard *kakeie hear *[i]ŋe hit/smash *pliaɣ hole *kolo hot/sharp *dimo house *ebi husband *ebVwe imperative *ia- intransitive *ŋo- kill *gul- knowledge *uowka kunai grass *uoka laugh *ŋuw leaf *op lie down/sleep *ku light (weight) *popu- lightning *melVm lime/white *mVlino long *tipu- louse *dobuna mountain *uomal mouth/door *uwo mucus *em name *ŋaɟel[e] neck *ua[n/l] negative *ma net *apija new *ŋaluo- night *ui now/today *ŋop[i] oblique *el ~ *ol old (thing) *poto- older sibling *ɲena one *ŋuka path *came penis *mu person *ŋuwa pig *milom plait *ɣo plant (v.) *[e]ule possessive *a[u]- rain *maŋ rib(s) *mel ripe *ŋewe rope *del run/run away *jeme sago stems *buka saliva *wVlo see *[a]b[e] shoot *to short *tama- sick/ill *dogo sit *ma[n/d] sleep *opula small *wVti- smoke *acaja snake *gumolo soft/weak *ieg(ieg) sole *mulo sour *[a]bowol speech *gaga spine *ieŋo steal *ɟepe stone *mat[e] stone axe *iebu straight *amom suffix on adj. *pa- sugarcane *belam sun/sky *[a/o]limu swim *ce tame/orphan *ŋomo- taro *muj tendon *ouo testicle *oko thigh *c[a]pe, *cepe throat *bila thumb/big toe *ege- tongue *nepla tooth *kal torch *ual[e]no tree/wood *doio upright *daŋ urine *oŋo voice *wai[a] wait *[a]lpo wallaby *doki wash *uw water *iu weep/cry *ŋom widow *boi wife *kepi[ŋ/ɣ][e] wing *mama woman/female *iowa- younger sibling *uobia
References
- Evans, Nicholas (2018). "The languages of Southern New Guinea". 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. 641–774. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
- New Guinea World: Bulaka River
- Usher, Timothy. 2014. "Bulaka River Consonants". Journal of Language Relationship, vol. 12, no. 1, 2015, pp. 31-50. doi:10.31826/jlr-2015-120106
External links
 |
Wiktionary has a word list at Appendix:Bulaka River word lists |
- Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Proto-Bulaka River