Malcolm Ross (2005) tentatively retains both Teberan and Pawaia within TNG, but sees no other connection between them. Noting insufficient evidence, Pawley and Hammarström (2018) tentatively leave Teberan as unclassified rather than as part of Trans-New Guinea.[2]
Pawley and Hammarström (2018) do not consider there to be sufficient evidence for Teberan to be classified as part of Trans-New Guinea, though they do note the following lexical resemblances between the Teberan languages and proto-Trans-New Guinea.[2]
According to Dryer (2022), based on a preliminary quantitative analysis of data from the ASJP database, Teberan is likely to be a subgroup of Trans–New Guinea.[3]
Proto-language
Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:[4]
gloss
Proto-Dadibi-Folopa
Dadibi
Folopa
head
*tobo
tobo-lu
tobo
hair/feather
*ni[g]i
nisi
niki
ear/hear
*[w]odzo
olo ~ odo-
woso 'hear'; woseni 'ear'
eye
*ge[…]
ge-du
kele
nose
*gun…
guni
gunumu; kurumu
tongue
*kamina
hamina
bone
*di[l/r]i
dili
diri
skin/bark
*wadz[i/e]
wali
wase
breast
*ame
ame
ame
dog
*j[o]wi
jowi ~ juwi
juwi
pig
*kibu
kibu
hupu
bird
*ba
ba
ba
egg/seed
*ge
ge
ke
tree/wood
*ni
ni
ni
woman/female
*so
so
so
sun/day
*s[u]g[a]
sogo
suka
water
*wẽi
wẽ
wẽi
fire/sun
*si[a]
sia
si
path/door
*tũ
tũ
tũ ~ tu
eat/drink
*nV-
n-/nuku- (present)
one/another
*me
me
me
Vocabulary comparison
The following basic vocabulary words are from Macdonald (1973),[5] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[6]
^ abPawley, Andrew; Hammarström, Harald (2018). "The Trans New Guinea family". 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. 21–196. ISBN978-3-11-028642-7.
^Dryer, Matthew S. (2022). Trans-New Guinea IV.2: Evaluating Membership in Trans-New Guinea.
^Macdonald, G.E. "The Teberan Language Family". In Franklin, K. editor, The linguistic situation in the Gulf District and adjacent areas, Papua New Guinea. C-26:111-148. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1973. doi:10.15144/PL-C26.111
Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN0858835622. OCLC67292782.