Kambot language


Kambot Ap Ma, is a Keram language of Papua New Guinea. Compared to its nearest relative, Ambakich, Kambot drops the first segment from polysyllabic words.
Kambot is spoken in Kambot village, Keram Rural LLG, East Sepik Province.

Classification

Kambot was assigned to the Grass family within Ramu by Laycock and Z'graggen. Foley finds the data does not support this assignment, but re-adds them to the Grass family in 2018. Foley and Ross agree that the language belongs to the Ramu – Lower Sepik family. Usher restores it to the Ramu family, but closer to the Mongol–Langam languages.

Phonology

Ap Ma consonants are:

Pronouns

proposed that Kambot had borrowed its pronouns from the Iatmul language of the Sepik family. His suggestion was that nyɨ 'I', wɨn 'thou', and nun 'ye' are taken from Iatmul nyɨn 'thou', wɨn 'I', and nɨn 'we', with a crossover of person. That is, the Iatmul may have called the Kambot nyɨn "you", and they then used that pronoun for themselves, resulting in it meaning "I". However, Ross and Pawley show that the pronoun set has not been borrowed. The Kambot pronouns are indigenous, as they have apparent cognates in Ramu languages. Similarly, the Iatmul pronouns have not been borrowed from Kambot, as they have cognates in other Ndu languages.
PNKambotKambarambaBanaroLangamArafundi
1sgnyɨniñiñiŋ
2sgwɨnwɨuwo
2plnunnunuŋ