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Left May
Left May
Arai
Geographic; distribution	Left May River, eastern Sandaun Province and western East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification	Arai–Samaia or independent language family Left May;
Language codes
Glottolog	left1242

The Left May or Arai languages are a small language family of half a dozen closely related but not mutually intelligible languages in the centre of New Guinea, in the watershed of the Left May River. There are only about 2,000 speakers in all. Foley (2018) classifies them separately as an independent language family,^[1] while Usher (2020) links them with the Amto–Musan languages.^[2]

The Left May languages are spoken at the extreme western end of East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.

Ama is the best documented Left May language.^[1]

Languages

The languages are:

Iteri (Rocky Peak), Nakwi, Ama, Nimo, Owiniga, and (possibly) Bo.

Classification

Foley (2018) provides the following classification.^[1]

Left May family

western branch: Ama; Nimo; Iteri, Bo
eastern branch: Owiniga

Iteri and Bo are closely related to each other.

Usher (2020) does not recognize a primary western branch, and distinguishes more languages.^[3]

Arai River family

Ama
Nimo–Nakwi
- Nakwi
- Nimo
Owiniga
West Arai River
- Bo
- Iteri – Rocky Peak
  - Iteri
  - Rocky Peak

External relationships

Malcolm Ross (2005) linked the Left May languages to Laycock's Kwomtari–Baibai languages in a Left May – Kwomtari family, based on similarities in the pronouns of Rocky Peak. However, he had not corrected for Laycock's errors in classification, and it is not clear if the links are with the Kwomtari or Fas languages.

Timothy Usher links the Left May languages to their neighbors, the Amto–Musan languages and the Pyu language in as Arai–Samaia stock.^[2] However, Foley (2018) attributes lexical similarities between the Left May and Amto-Musan families to contact, rather than genetic relationship.^[1]

Foley (2018) notes that typologically, the Left May languages are highly different from the other language families of the Sepik-Ramu basin, instead resembling the Trans-New Guinea somewhat more closely. For example, Left May and Trans-New Guinea languages typically all have ergative case markers, which most languages of the Sepik-Ramu basin do not have except for a few such as the isolate Taiap. Nevertheless, Left May and Trans-New Guinea speakers have historically been hostile towards each other (unlike their close trade relationships with Amto-Musan speakers), so there has been no recent contact scenarios to speak of. These typological similarities could be due to chance, ancient contact, or perhaps even a deep genetic relationship.^[1]

Vocabulary comparison

The following basic vocabulary words are from Conrad & Dye (1975)^[4] and various SIL resources, as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.^[5]

The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. kʌmi, ʔɛmi, ʔami for “head”) or not (e.g. dɛbo, ʔinʌ̀, fɛřæ for “skin”).

gloss	Ama	Bo	Iteri (Rocky Peak dialect)	Iteri	Nimo	Owiniga
head	kamu; 'kaːmũ	kʌmi	ʔɛmi		ʔami; ʔa'm̀i	kɛmɛ; 'kɛmɛh
hair	kamusowa; 'kaːmũsuɒ	kʌmsiya	ʔɛmisu	ami	ʔamiso; ʔami'sò	'kamo; kɛmo
ear	i'ɒː; ʔia	kɔ	ʔo	æu	ɔ; ʔɔ	iso; is̯o; i'só
eye	mʝɒː; mʌřa	mʌǏo	ᵽogwa		mɔ; moh	'mǒro; mořo
nose	amu; 'aːmũ	ki	ʔɩmodʋ	imuř	ʔimʌ	tɛmɛři; tə'mʌ́li
tooth	iː	ki	ʔe	ɩ		imɛři; i'mʌli
tongue	isauna; i'saːunɔ̃	lɛsɛ		lɛtɛ	isaːbe; isaːpe	isɩ; ise
leg	'ɸeʌu					feřǽ
louse	ʔani; ʌ'nĩː	ka	ʔɔ	æ	amiᶗ; ʔamiyo	eni; kemo; tařap̶úmwaino
dog	aǏuou; ʌʝɔ'wɔːu	naři	so	soʔ	ʔau; ʔauh	bɛlɩ; bɛři
pig	ᵽu; ʍuː	ᵽu	ᵽu	hwusu	ᵽu	kebaře; kebáře
bird	o; oː	wɔ	wo	waři	wʌ; 'ẃəli	be; mbɛh; ya
egg	oː iː; ʔui	wɔi	ʔabotɩno	woi	i; sáːviya	bene; mɛřɛfi; mɛřɛri; pe'dana
blood	'nãːkɒ; nakʌʔ	kwo	wo	woʔ	iwʌ	ke; takona
bone	miː; mĩː	mutuk	moto	ᵽʋmoto	mi	miři; nom
skin	au; 'tɔːnɔ̃	tʌpɔ	dɛbo	nae	abu; ʔi'nʌ̀	fɛřæ; fɛřai; numə'řài; sepe
breast	nanʌ; 'nãːnɔ̃	nɔ	nʋ	nou	nɔ	'náinoh; nano
tree	ãː; ʔą	ka	ʔa	ąʔ	a; ʔa	a; ʔaː
man	nʌ̃'kɒː; nʌka	nʌkʌ	no	nau	nɔː; nɔno 'sámo	nəgaina; 'nɛ́ka; nʌga; nʌgaina
woman	mwi; nə̃'nĩː; nʌkʌǏaǏa	kwa		uwa; ʔwa	nią; nià 'sámo	'níboh; nini
sun	o'ʝɒː				'húanota	beřa; mbɛ'lah
moon	ʌ'mũː				ʔi'ḿʌ	'fonai; fořai
water	i'wɒː; ʔiwa	ʔu	ʔu	u	wi; ʔwi	bi; ʔmi
fire	taː; tah	ta	yɛyʋ		ta	sa; sah
stone	tɛmʌkiʔ; tʌmʌ̃'kiː	tʌpʌki	tʌbe	masɩ	tə'pái; tʌpei	sia; si'yà; sya
road, path	mʝɒː; mʌǏa	keři; kʌři	ʔæliwi	ʌři	áři; ařiI	maǥamář; meřeb̶i; mɛ'řiƀi
name	'siːʌʝɔ
eat	napʌna; tə'nɔ̃ː	sanoʔ	wɛno		pano; 'yʌ́no 'sáno	epepeki; siyunò; tauna
one	siasʌ; 'siːʌsɔ	sɔsɔ	sʋso	susæsæ	siʌesʌ; 'síyasə	ya'liƀuh; yəvyaro; yʌřu
two	tiwe; 'tiːwei	tisʌ	tiso	lisæʔ	tiː; tiĩ	si'máƀi; simʌbi; siməbi

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". 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. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
^ ^a ^b "NewGuineaWorld, Arai and Samaia Rivers". Retrieved 2017-12-09.
^ "NGW, Arai River". Retrieved 2020-02-26.
^ Conrad, R. and Dye, W. "Some Language Relationships in the Upper Sepik Region of Papua New Guinea Archived 2024-05-26 at the Wayback Machine". In Conrad, R., Dye, W., Thomson, N. and Bruce Jr., L. editors, Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 18. A-40:1-36. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1975. doi:10.15144/PL-A40.1
^ Greenhill, Simon (2016). "TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea". Archived from the original on 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2020-11-05.

Laycock, Donald C. (1973). Sepik languages: checklist and preliminary classification. Canberra: Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-85883-084-4. OCLC 5027628.
Laycock, Donald C. (1975). "Sko, Kwomtari, and Left May (Arai) phyla". In Stephen A. Wurm (ed.). Papuan languages and the New Guinea linguistic scene: New Guinea area languages and language study 1. Canberra: Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. pp. 849–858. OCLC 37096514.
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. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.