| Ambai | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Ambai Islands |
Native speakers | (10,100 cited 2000)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | amk |
| Glottolog | amba1265 |
TheAmbai language is anAustronesian language spoken by theAmbai people inIndonesian New Guinea (Papua Province), mostly on theAmbai Islands as well as the southern part ofYapen Island.[2] The number of speakers is estimated to be 10,000. Dialects are Randawaya, Ambai (Wadapi-Laut), and Manawi.[3]
Ambai has 19 consonants and 6 vowels, shown on the tables below.
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Laryngeal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | k ɡ | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||
| Trill | r | ||||
| Fricative | ɸ | s | ç ʝ | ħ/h | |
| Approximant | w | j |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | ɛ | ə | ɔ |
| Open | a |
All pronouns in Ambai mark fornumber,person andclusivity (in first person).
The following bound pronouns are obligatorily added as affixes to the verb to stand as the subject of the sentence. Every verb in Ambai takes a subject, even if it is a 'dummy' third-person pronoun.
| Singular | Dual | Trial | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | exclusive | i-/dj- | au(r)- | anto(r)- | ame(r)- |
| inclusive | tu(r)- | to(r)- | ta(r)- | ||
| 2nd person | b- | mu(r)- | munto(r)- | me(r)- | |
| 3rd person | d- | u(r)- | co(r)- | e(r)- | |
The following pronouns are independent and are more restricted in use. They do not appear as subjects – since the subject is marked already on the verb – but can appear as objects, in prepositional phrases and in subordinate clauses. Some verbs allow the object pronoun to be omitted.
| Singular | Dual | Trial | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | exclusive | jau | auru | antoru | amea |
| inclusive | turu | totoro | tata | ||
| 2nd person | wau | muru | muntoro | mea | |
| 3rd person | i | uru | coru | ea | |
Examples of pronouns used in everyday language: