| Porome | |
|---|---|
| Kibiri | |
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Gulf Province,Kikori District, near Aird Hills, on several tributaries ofKikori River, villages of Tipeowo, Doibo, Paile, Babaguina, Ero, and Wowa in southernPapua New Guinea |
Native speakers | 1,200 (2011)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | prm |
| Glottolog | kibi1239 |
| ELP | Kibiri-Porome |
 Map: The Porome language of New Guinea The Porome language (large bay, southern PNG) Trans–New Guinea languages Other Papuan languages Austronesian languages Uninhabited | |
| Coordinates:7°27′S144°17′E / 7.450°S 144.283°E /-7.450; 144.283 | |
Porome, also known asKibiri, is aPapuan language of southernPapua New Guinea.
Porome was classified as alanguage isolate byStephen Wurm. AlthoughMalcolm Ross linked it to theKiwaian languages, there is no evidence for a connection apart from the pronouns 1sgamo and 2sgdo (cf. proto-Kiwaian *mo and *oro).
There are over a thousand speakers inBabaguina (7°28′52″S144°15′14″E / 7.480977°S 144.254009°E /-7.480977; 144.254009 (Babaguina)),Doibo (7°27′28″S144°16′18″E / 7.45766°S 144.271731°E /-7.45766; 144.271731 (Doibo/Babeio/Veiru)),Ero (7°26′46″S144°21′53″E / 7.446131°S 144.364831°E /-7.446131; 144.364831 (Ero)),Paile,Tipeowo, andWowa (7°24′51″S144°18′56″E / 7.414287°S 144.315579°E /-7.414287; 144.315579 (Wowou)) villages inWest Kikori Rural LLG andEast Kikori Rural LLG ofGulf Province, near theAird Hills andKikori River tributaries.[2][3]
Porome has 9 native consonants. /s/ occurs in loanwords. There are noglottal consonants.[4]
| p | t | k~g~ɣ |
| b | d | |
| v | ||
| m | n | |
| r | ||
| (s) |
There are five vowels, which are /a, e, i, o, u/.[4]
Like the surrounding languages, Porome is a tonal language. It has 5 tones.[4]
The independent pronouns and subject suffixes to the verb are as follows:
| sg | du | pl | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | amo, -me | amó-kai | amó, -ke/-ki |
| 2 | do, -ke | aia-kai | a, -ka |
| 3 | da, -a/-bV | abo-kai | abo, -abo |
Selected Porome vocabulary from Petterson (2010):[5]
| Porome | Gloss |
|---|---|
| kikimi | head |
| kikimikuro | hair |
| pakai | forehead |
| ipiri kukuro | eyebrow, eyelashes |
| ipiri | eye |
| obokera | ear |
| urubi | nose |
| koropi | tooth |
| beri | tongue |
| kakimoro | cheek |
| iri | hand |
| kaka | thumb |
| iri uraka | palm |
| upuruburowara | back |
| itari | back of neck (nape) |
| eimuro | breast |
| bamakai | chest |
| bakuri | belly |
| koupuri | shoulder |
| kunei | thigh |
| murikara | knee |
| warakero | leg |
| kakapu | foot |
| Porome | Gloss |
|---|---|
| tauri | 0 |
| wakua | 1 |
| kabirai | 2 |
| wauteri | 3 |
| kaka etekaro | 4 |
| irikia wakua | 5 |
| irikia wakua, muro wakua | 6 |
| irikia wakua, muro kabirai | 7 |
| irikia wakua, muro wauteri | 8 |
| irikia wakua, muro kaka etekaro | 9 |
| irikia kabirai | 10 |
| Porome | Gloss |
|---|---|
| kuri | village |
| mapi | house |
| erei | fire |
| kumapi | stone |
| wawari | creek |
| meri | path |
| penoni | bridge |
| moia | men |
| eria | women |
| kari | boys |
| mibu | girls |
| Porome | Gloss |
|---|---|
| bari naka | sky |
| eri ipiro | sun |
| omeri tero | moon |
| okoiri | star |
| keibu | waves |
| momoi | clouds |
| bari epu | rain clouds |
| kakaikapo, neii | rain |
| meremeri | lightning |
| marari, konobori | wind |
| ero | land |
| eii | earth, soil |
| ubi | water |
| kaku | river |
| eimuro | bush |
| erouri | island |
| moki | passage |
| pari | sand |
| oteri | cliff |
| akaburi | mountain |
| Porome | Gloss |
|---|---|
| kubi | tree |
| aveiri | branch |
| kuri | roots |
| orei | leaf |
| kopo | flower |
| enenei | grass |
| avui | cutty grass |
| makai | betelnut |
| dii | coconut |
| mei | sugarcane |
| Porome | Gloss |
|---|---|
| bobi | pig |
| kumi | dog |
| bari mei kumo | chicken |
| kaburi | frog |
| barami | wallaby |
| pusi | cat |
| kuiou | tree kangaroo |
| kaiani, keipari | rat |
| imai | snake |
| boribi | cuscus |
| tumaru | bandicoot |
| kana | bird-of-paradise |
| koropeiri | cassowary |
| wamo | bush fowl |
| kubeiri | flying fox |
| kapasikori | black cockatoo |
| marubo | hornbill |
| koribi | fish |
| einakerei | centipede |
| eiamu | millipede |
| morokabi | spider |
| ubatu | grasshopper |
| nepu, mati | mosquito |
| nokoiri | fly |
| enene | cicada |
| bebeiri | butterfly |
| aii | sago grub |
| buburumi | sago beetle |
| mirimabi | scorpion |
| mi | crab |
| timuri | prawn |
| vi | cockle, clam |
| keimu | crocodile |
| akouri | river snake |
| dabeouri | sea turtle |
| ketoko | creek turtle |
| watemu | river turtle |
Lexical comparison of Porome with neighboring languages:[4]
| gloss | Porome (isolate) | Urama (Kiwaian) | Rumu (Turama–Kikorian) | Ipiko (Anim) | Folopa (Teberan) | Baimuru (isolate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| head | kikimi / kikima | epu | wotu | abe | topo | uku |
| eye | ipiri / ipiro | idomai | ihi | uhino | kele | inamu |
| house | mapi / mapiro | moto | mi / ve | aho | be | marea |
| village | kuri / kuro | vati | yɔ / ve | vati | be | paʔiri |
| place | dabu / dabo | vati | tei | vati | tiki | paʔiri |
| tree | kubi / kubo | nuʔa | i | de | ni | iri |
| fire | erei / eria | era | i | tae | si | iʔau |
| dog | kumi / kumo | umu | ka | gaha | haɔ | oroko |
| bird | kumi / kumo | kikio | ka | tipemu | ba | nako |
| water | ubi / uburo | obo | u | ogo | węi | ere |
| earth | ei / ero | hepu | pɛkɛ / hapu | goʔeto | hae | kae |
| base | makiri / makiro | mabu | mate | kama | baale | ʔaia |
| sago | i / iro | du | kɛi | du | o | pu |
| 1s pronoun | ámò | mo | i / na | no | e̜ | na |
| 2s pronoun | do | ro | iki / ka | vo (< ɣo) | ya̜ | ni |
| 3s pronoun | da | nu | a | ete / itu / eto | a̜ | u |
| 1p pronoun | àmò | nimo | name | ni | da̜ | ene |
| 2p pronoun | a | rio | kame | ho | dia̜ | noro |
| 3p pronoun | abo | ni | ame | iti | atima | oro |
Comparison of Porome's phonological inventory with those of neighboring languages:[4]
