Papuan language spoken in Indonesia
Mairasi (a.k.a. Faranyao and Kaniran ) is a Papuan language of the Bomberai Peninsula of West Papua , Indonesia .
The Northeastern dialect may be a distinct language.
Distribution
Locations:[2]
Kaimana Regency
Interior villages: Umbran, Jamna Fata, Matna, Tarwata, Sara, Kasira, Orai, Wangatnau, Faranyau, and Sarifan
Coastal villages: Sisir, Foroma Jaya, Warasi, Lobo, Lomira, Morona, Nanggwaromi, Omay (May may), and Warika
Teluk Wondama Regency
Naikere District villages: Sararti, Oya, Yabore, Wosimo, Undurara, and Inyora
Phonology
Pronouns
Mairasi possessor prefixes are:[3]
sg
pl
1
o-
ee-
2
ne-
e-
3
na-
ne-
Morphology
Case markers
Noun phrase case markers in Mairasi:[3] : 546
instrumental suffix -t
locative postposition ar
allative postposition ev(i)
Some examples:
ex:
ovuru-t
machete-INSTR
‘with a machete’
ex:
weso ar
house LOC
‘in the house’
ex:
mundu evi
village ALL
‘to the village’
Possessors
Mairasi possessor prefixes:[3] : 546
sg
pl
1
o-
ee-
2
ne-
e-
3
na-
ne-
Examples of inalienable possessors :
ex:
ee -rovo
1PL.POSS-hand
‘our hands’
ex:
na -iambi
3SG.POSS-skin
‘his skin’
Directionals
Mairasi has two directional suffixes, which are only used with movement verbs.[3] : 549
-aʔi ‘up, inland’
-ari ‘down, seaward’
Examples of directional suffixes in use:
ex:
o-is-aʔi
1SG.SBJ-stand-up
‘I stand up’
ex:
o-fon-ari
1SG .SBJ -sit-down
o-fon-ari
1SG.SBJ-sit-down
‘I sit down’
Animacy
Animacy is marked by the adjective modifier n -, as exemplified by the contrast in the following two noun phrases.[3] : 546
ex:
fariri Ø-avwer
word INAN-big
‘a big word’
ex:
fariri n -avwer
word ANIM-big
‘a long-winded person’
Vowel changes can modify the number of animate nouns:[3] : 546
ex:
uratu n-avwer
fish ANIM-big.SG
‘a big fish’
ex:
uratu n-e vwer
fish ANIM-big.PL
‘big fishes’
References
^ Mairasi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^ Ronsumbre, Adolof (2020). Ensiklopedia Suku Bangsa di Provinsi Papua Barat . Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kepel Press. ISBN 978-602-356-318-0 .
^ a b c d e f g h Foley, William A. (2018). "The languages of Northwest New Guinea". 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. 433–568. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7 .