Proto-Trans–New Guinea is the reconstructed proto-language ancestral to the Trans–New Guinea languages. Reconstructions have been proposed by Malcolm Ross and Andrew Pawley.
Proto-Trans–New Guinea is reconstructed with a typical simple Papuan inventory: five vowels, /i e a o u/, three phonations of stops at three places, /p t k, b d ɡ, m n ŋ/ (Andrew Pawley reconstructs the voiced series as prenasalized /mb nd ŋɡ/), plus a palatal affricate /dʒ ~ ndʒ/, the fricative /s/, and the approximants /l j w/. Syllables are typically (C)V, with CVC possible at the ends of words. Many of the languages have restricted tone systems.
In the most recent version, Pawley (2018) gives the following consonant inventory for Proto-Trans–New Guinea.[1]:136
bilabial | apical | palato-alveolar | palatal | velar | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
oral stops | p | t | k | ||
fricatives | s | ||||
prenasalised obstruents | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮʤ | ᵑg | |
nasals | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
laterals | l | ||||
glides | w | j |
The Proto-Trans–New Guinea vowels are reconstructed as having a cross-linguistically frequent five-vowel system:[1]
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
Mid | e | o | |
Open | a |
Ross reconstructs the following pronominal paradigm for Trans–New Guinea, with *a~*i ablaut for singular~non-singular:
I | *na | we | *ni |
thou | *ga | you | *gi |
s/he | *(y)a, *ua | they | *i |
There is a related but less commonly attested form for 'we', *nu, as well as a *ja for 'you', which Ross speculates may have been a polite form. In addition, there were dual suffixes *-li and *-t, and a plural suffix *-nV, (i.e. n plus a vowel) as well as collective number suffixes *-pi- (dual) and *-m- (plural) that functioned as inclusive we when used in the first person. (Reflexes of the collective suffixes, however, are limited geographically to the central and eastern highlands, and so might not be as old as proto-Trans–New Guinea.)
Pawley and Hammarström (2018: 147-148), following Suter (1997),[2] group Madang, Finisterre-Huon, and Kainantu-Goroka together as part of a larger Northeast New Guinea (NENG) group on the basis of morphological evidence, such as mutually reconstructable verbal suffixes that mark subject:
singular | dual | plural | |
---|---|---|---|
1st person | *-Vn | *-u(l,t) | *-un, *-i |
2nd person | *-an | *-i(l,t) | *-ai, *-i, *-a |
3rd person | *-a, *-i | *-ai |
proto-Northeast New Guinea | proto-Madang | proto-Finisterre-Huon | proto-Kainantu-Goroka | proto-Trans–New Guinea (tentative) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1sg | *-Vn | *-in | ? | *-u | *-Vn |
2sg | *-an | *-an,*-i | *-an | *-an | *-Vn |
3sg | *-a,*-i | *-a,*-an | *-a,*-i | *-ai,*-i | *-a,*-i |
1du | *-u(l,t) | -*-u(l,t) | *-u(l,t) | *-ur | *-u(l,t) |
2/3du | *-i(l,t) | *-i(l,t) | *-i(l,t) | ? | *-i(l,t) |
1pl | *-un,*-i | *-un | *-un | *-un | |
2/3pl | *-ai,*-i,*-a | *-ai,*-i | *-e,*-i | *-a |
Lexical words, such as *niman 'louse', may also be reconstructed:
The Proto-Trans–New Guinea negative is reconstructed as *ma- (Pawley and Hammarström 2018). Negatives in Trans–New Guinea languages usually have either an mV- or nV- form.[1]
The following Proto-Trans New Guinea reconstructions are from Andrew Pawley and Harald Hammarström (2018).[1]:141–146
body parts | |
arm, forearm | *mbena |
belly, internal organs | *mundun |
blood | *ke(nj,s)a |
bone | *kondaC |
brain | *muk[V] |
breast | *amu |
buttocks | *simbi + modifier |
cheek | *mVkVm |
claw, hand | *sikal or *sakil |
ear | *kand(i,e)k[V] |
excrement 1 | [same as 'guts'] |
excrement 2 | *ata |
eye 1 (cf. egg 2) | *(ŋg,k)iti-maŋgV |
eye 2 | *ŋg(a,u)mu |
eye 3 | *nVpV |
fingernail | *(mb,p)(i,u)t(iu)C |
foot, lower leg | *k(a,o)nd(a,o)[C] |
forehead, head | *mVtVna |
guts, intestines, bowels | *sim(i,u), *simbi |
hair 1 | *(nd,s)umu(n,t)[V] |
hair 2, leaf | *iti |
head 1 | *kV(mb,p)utu |
head 2 | *mVtVna |
heart 1 (cf. belly, egg 2) | *mundu-maŋgV |
heart 2 | *simu |
heart 3 | *kamu |
knee | *(ŋg,k)atuk |
leg 1 | *k(a,o)nd(a,o)[C] |
leg 2, calf | *kitu |
liver | *[ma]pVn |
milk, sap | *muk |
mouth, teeth | *maŋgat[a] |
navel | *simu + modifier |
neck 1 | *k(a,e)(nd,t)ak |
neck 2, nape, side of | *kuma(n,ŋ)[V] |
nose | *mundu |
penis | *mo |
saliva | *si(mb,p)at[V] |
shoulder | *kinV |
skin | *(ŋg,k)a(nd,t)apu |
testicles | *walaka |
tongue 1 | *mbilaŋ |
tongue 2 | *me(l,n)e |
tooth 1 | (see mouth) |
tooth 2 | *titi |
urine | *[si]si, *siti, *pisi |
kin terms | |
brother, older | *[mb]amba |
father | *apa, *mbapa |
grandparent | *apus[i] |
husband, man | *ambi |
mother, free form | *am(a,i,u) |
mother, bound form | *na- |
sibling, older | *nan(a,i) |
sibling, older same sex | *[mb]amba |
sister | *aya |
age-gender and other social categories | |
baby | *ŋaŋa |
boy | *nV |
man, husband | *ambi |
orphan, widow & child | *mbeŋga-masi |
woman, female | *panV |
birds, bird parts | |
bird 1 | *n[e]i |
bird 2 | *yaka[i] |
cassowary | *ku[y]a |
egg 1 | *mun(a,e,i)ka |
egg 2, fruit, seed | *maŋgV |
tail | *a(mb,m)u |
wing | *mbutu |
insects | |
butterfly | *apa[pa]ta |
fly | *ŋgambu |
louse | *niman, *iman |
mosquito | *kasin |
plants, plant parts | |
bark | *ka(nd,t)ap[u] |
casuarina | *kal(a,i)pV |
fruit, seed (cf. egg 2) | *maŋgV |
leaf 1, hair | *iti |
leaf 2 | *sasak |
root | *kindil |
sap, milk | *muk |
taro | *mV |
tree, wood | *inda |
inanimate world | |
ashes 1 | *sumbu |
ashes 2 | *kambu-sumbu |
ashes 3 | *la(ŋg,k)a |
cloud 1, sky | *samb[V] |
cloud 2 | *ka(mb,p)utu |
fire 1 | *k(a,o)nd(a,u)p |
fire 2 | *inda |
fire 3 | *kambu |
flame | *mbalaŋ |
ground 1 | *man[a] |
ground 2 | *maka[n] |
lightning, light | *(mb,m)elak |
moon 1 | *takVn[V] |
moon 2 | *kal(a,i)m |
morning | *k(i,u)tuma + X |
night | *k(i,u)tuma |
sand | *sa(ŋg,k)asiŋ |
sky 1, cloud | *samb[V] |
thunder, sky 2 | *kumut, *tumuk |
smoke 1 | *kambu(s,t)(a,u) |
smoke 2 | *kambu-la(ŋg,k)a |
stone 1 | *kamb(a,u)na |
stone 2 | *[na]muna |
sun 1 | *kamali |
sun 2 | *ketane |
water 1 | *ok[V] |
water 2 | *nok |
wind 1 | *kumbutu |
wind 2, breeze | *pinVm |
artefacts | |
axe | *tu |
fence | *wati |
netbag 1 | *kun |
netbag 2 | *at(i,u) |
string, rope | *asi |
intangible cultural concepts | |
instructions, language, word, speech | *mana |
mind, thought | *n(o,u)man |
name 1 | *imbi |
name 2, who | *wani |
shadow, spirit | *k(aw,o)nan |
song, type of | *saŋ |
witchcraft | *kum |
independent pronouns (for subject, object, possessor) | |
1 singular | *na |
2 singular | *ŋga |
3 singular | *ya |
3 singular | *wa |
1 plural | *ni, *nu |
1 plural | *ni |
2 plural | *ŋgi, *ki |
1 dual | *niLi, *nuLi |
2 dual | *ŋgiLi, *kiLi |
3 dual | *iLi |
verbal suffixes marking person-number of subject | |
1 singular | *-Vn |
2 singular | *-an |
1 dual | *-uL |
2/3 dual | *-iL |
1 plural | *-un |
1 singular different subject | *-pa |
verbs | |
be (live, stay, sit) | *mVna- |
bite | *s(i,u)- |
blow | *pu + verb |
break | *pa(ŋg,k)- |
burn | *nd(a,e,i)- |
burn, light a fire | *ki- |
carry (on back, shoulder) | *kak(i,u)- |
come | *me- |
cook | *andu- |
cut, chop | *tVk- |
die | *kumV- |
do, make | *ti- |
dream | *kina(mb,p)- |
eat, drink | *na- |
fly, flutter | *putu(putu)- |
give | *mV- |
go 1 | *pu- |
go 2 | *yata- |
hit | *tu- |
know, hear, see | *nVŋg- |
laugh | *ŋgiti (+ verb) |
live, be, sit | see 'be' |
put | *(m,p)a(l,t)V- |
say, speak | *nde- |
see, know, perceive | *nVŋg- |
shoot | *tVmV- |
sleep 1, lie down | *kin(i,u)[m] |
sleep 2 | *p(e,i)t(e,i)o- |
speak, talk | *nde- |
spit | *kasipa- |
stand | *t(a,e,i)k[V]- |
swell | *su + verb |
take | *(nd,t)a- |
tie | *ndiŋga-, *ndaŋgi |
turn (oneself) | *mbuli[ki] + verb |
urinate | *X + *si- (urine + verb) |
vomit | *mVŋ[g]V ti- |
adjectives | |
blue | *muk[V] |
cold | *kukam(o,u) |
dry | *ŋgatata |
full | *t(o,u)k(i,u) ti- |
heavy | *kenda |
long | *k(o,u)t(u,i)p |
new | *kVtak |
short | *tumba |
straight | *tutu[tu]ku |
conjunctions | |
and | *ito |
negatives | |
not | *ma- (+ verb) |
numerals | |
two | *ta(l,t)(a,e) |
The content is sourced from: https://handwiki.org/wiki/Social:Proto-Trans%E2%80%93New_Guinea