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| Kwalean | |
|---|---|
| Humene–Uare | |
| Geographic distribution | Southeastern peninsula ofPapua New Guinea:Central Province |
| Linguistic classification | Trans–New Guinea
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | kwal1257 |
TheKwalean orHumene–Uare languages are a small family ofTrans–New Guinea languages spoken in the "Bird's Tail" (southeastern peninsula) of New Guinea. They are classified within theSoutheast Papuan branch of Trans–New Guinea.
The Kwalean languages are spoken inRigo District,Central Province,Papua New Guinea.[2]
The languages areHumene,Uare (Kwale) and recently extinctMulaha. It is not clear if Mulaha was an outlier, or as close to the others as they are to each other.
Humene and Uare are quite close (70% basic vocabulary), Mulaha more distant (22% with Uare).
The Kwalean family is not accepted bySøren Wichmann (2013), who splits it into two separate groups, namelyHumene–Uare andMulaha.[3]
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory of Humene and Uare as follows:[4]
| *m | *n | |||
| *t | *k | *ʔ | ||
| *b | *d | *g | ||
| *ɸ | *h | |||
| *w | *ɾ | *j | *ɣ |
The *k is rare.
Vowels are *i *e *ɛ *a *ɔ *o *u.
Usher (2020) reconstructs the pronouns of Humene–Uare as:[4]
| sg | pl | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | *ɛ | *ɛmɛ |
| 2 | *ɣa | *ja |
| 3 | *ani | *jɛ |
Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:[4]
| gloss | Proto-Humene-Uare | Humene | Uare |
|---|---|---|---|
| hair/feather | *igu | ˈiʔu | ˈiku |
| eye | *ubuma | uˈbuma | uˈbuma |
| nose | *jajɔɾɛ | ʒaˈʒoɾe | ʒaˈʒoɾe |
| tooth | *ɣɔnɔnɛ | βoˈnone | ɣoˈnone |
| tongue | *majanɛ | maˈnane | maˈʒane |
| foot/leg | *ɔda | ˈoda | ˈida |
| blood | *ɾɔo̝ | ɾoˈo | ˈɾoˈu |
| bone | *e̝tinɛ | eˈhine | iˈsine |
| skin | *ahe̝ɾe̝ | aˈheɾe | aˈhiɾi |
| breast | *nuunɛ | nuˈune | nuˈne |
| louse | *nɔmɔnɛ | noˈmone | noˈmone |
| dog | *ɣo̝ni | βoni | ˈɣuni |
| pig | *aba | ˈaba | ˈaba |
| bird | *ne̝ni; *t[e̝]b[o̝]ɾ[e̝] | neni; teˈboɾe | ˈnini |
| egg | *maɣa | ˈmaβa | ˈmaɣa |
| man | *wajɛ | ˈβaʒe | ˈβaʒe |
| woman | *nɔgɔnɛ | noˈʔone | noˈɣone |
| sun/day | *maˈda | maˈda | maˈda |
| moon | *batɔ | ˈbato | ˈbato |
| water | *wɔu | ˈβou | ˈβou |
| fire/firewood | *iɾɛ | ˈiɾe | iɾe |
| stone | *hadi | ˈhadi | ˈhadi |
| path | *e̝bi | ˈebi | ˈibi |
| name | *ni | ni | ni |
| eat | *an- | an- | an- |
| one | *te̝bɔ | ˈtebo | ˈtiba |
| two | *ahɛu | aˈheu | aˈheu |
The following basic vocabulary words are from Dutton (1970)[5] (with additional data forUare from 1988 SIL field notes), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.[6] Proto-Kwalean reconstructions are from Ross (2014).
Note that the words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g.nuune,nune for “breast”) or not (e.g.hadi,aroba for “stone”).
| gloss | Proto-Kwalean | Humene | Uare | Mulaha |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| head | raˈfune | vaˈdini; və'd·inɩ | yoarowai | |
| hair | *iku(va) | iʔvuai | 'iku; ˈiku | yoroba |
| ear | aˈbi | 'tʰɛɣʌ; ˈteɣa | akuru | |
| eye | *(u)bu(i)vi(ma) | uˈbuma | uˈbuma; u'bumə | boivi |
| nose | *ʒaʒore | ʒaˈʒore | ĵ ̟ʌ'ĵ ̟ɔre; ʒaˈʒore | ine |
| tooth | *vono(ne); *wano(ne) | voˈnone | ɣoˈnone; ɣɔ'nɔne | waina (2?) |
| tongue | maˈnane | maˈʒane; mə'j ̟ane | bebura | |
| leg | goˈenva | ɔdʌ; ˈoda | koina | |
| louse | *(n)omo(ne) | noˈmone | noˈmone; 'nɔmone | uˈmana |
| dog | *ɣuni | ˈaba | ˈaba; 'ɣunɩ | aba |
| pig | *aba | (voni) aˈva | 'ap·ʌ; (ɣuni) aˈvaɣa | batuvi |
| bird | *teboare | (teˈbore) ˈiʔuva | 'ninɩ; (nini) ˈikuɣa | iguvi |
| egg | *ma(va) | ˈhava | iˈsaɣa; 'maɣʌ | iakeki |
| blood | *ruu | roˈo | iuː; ˈruˈu | iˈaa |
| bone | *esi(ne) | eˈhine | ɩ'ine; iˈsine | inina |
| skin | *ahiri | aˈhere kokava | a'hiṟʟ; aˈhiri | iaina |
| breast | *n(a)u(ne) | nuˈune | 'nune; nuˈne | kobaiba |
| tree | iˈbado | ire; 'ire | ||
| man | *vaʒe | oˈhoʒ; ˈvaʒe | ohɔj ̟e; oˈhoʒe; ˈvaʒe | |
| woman | *no'ɣone | noʔˈone | 'lɔɣae; noˈɣone; roˈɣai | tina |
| sky | *adure | aˈdure | aˈdure | |
| sun | *mada | maˈda | 'madʌ; maˈda | bauwa |
| moon | *bato | ˈbato | ˈbato; 'batʰɔ | vaisa |
| water | *vou; *wara | ˈvou | ˈvou; vu | vara |
| fire | *ire | ˈire | ireˈroga; ɩṟɛlokə | boareki |
| stone | *hadi | ˈhadi | 'had·ɩ; ˈhadi | aroba |
| road, path | 'ibɩ | |||
| name | *ni | ni | ni; niː | waa anu |
| eat | *anE- | a-nE- | a-nE-; aᵘ ʔohe | inatu |
| one | *teba | ˈtebo | ˈtiba; 'tʰipʌ | pebogi |
| two | *aheu | a'heᵘ |
Kwale reflexes ofproto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma are:[7]