Pahoturi languages


The Pahoturi languages are a small family of Papuan languages spoken around the Pahoturi. This family includes six language varieties including Agöb, Em, Ende, Kawam, Idi, and Taeme, which are spoken in the Pahoturi River area south of the Fly River, just west of the Eastern Trans-Fly languages. Ross tentatively includes them in the proposed Trans-Fly – Bulaka River family.
Some Pahoturi River speakers were originally hunter-gatherers, but had recently shifted to becoming gardeners.

Classification

Wurm and Ross suggest that the Pahoturi languages may be related to the Tabo language just north of the Fly delta. However, they present no evidence, and the pronouns do not match.
Evans classifies the Pahoturi River languages as an independent language family.

Languages

The six varieties have traditionally been grouped into the following two language groups:
  1. Agöb, Em, Ende, and Kawam
  2. Idi and Taeme
Preliminary work on the language family suggests that these varieties form a dialect chain.
Pahoturi River languages and respective demographic information listed by Evans are provided below.

Phonemes

Usher reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:

Pronouns

The pronouns Ross reconstructs for the family are:
Proto-Pahoturi
Lindsey lists the following pronouns for each of the language varieties in the family.
CaseEnglishAgobEmEndeKawamIdiTaeme
NominativeI ŋənaŋənaŋənaŋənaŋənŋən
Nominativethou boŋoboŋoboŋobuŋobæbæ
Nominatives/he bobogobogobobobo
Nominativewe exclusive
ŋumiŋumiŋəmiŋəmiŋəmi/bibi
Nominativewe inclusive
ibiibiibiibijɪbijəbi
Nominativeyou bibibibibibibibibæbæ
Nominativethey ubiubiubiubibo/wɪbibo/ubi
AccusativeI ŋənamŋənamŋənəmŋonombomŋənəm
Accusativethou bæmbæmbambæmbabombabom
Accusatives/he obomobomobomobomobomobom
Accusativewe exclusive
ŋənamŋumimŋəmimŋəmimbimŋəmim
Accusativewe inclusive
ibomibamibimibimjəbimjɪbim
Accusativeyou bæmbæmbibimbibimbibimbibim
Accusativethey obamobæmubimubimubim/wəbimubim
DativeI ŋɵmɽeŋəmɽeŋəmɽeŋəmreblæŋəmʎæ
Dativethou bæɽebabɽebabɽebæbrebæblæbæbʎe
Datives/he obɽeobɽeobɽeobooblæobʎe
Dativewe exclusive
ŋɵmraŋumraŋəmiraŋəmirabliŋəmʎi
Dativewe inclusive
ibraibraibraibrajəblijɪbʎi
Dativeyou bærababrabibrabibrabiblibibʎi
Dativethey obraobraubiraubiraubliubʎi
PossessiveI ŋɵmoŋəmoŋəmoŋomobo/bænæŋəmo
Possessivethou bənebənebənebənebənæbənæ
Possessives/he obooboobooboobo/obænæobo
Possessivewe exclusive
ŋəmaŋəmaŋəmaŋəmabaŋəma
Possessivewe inclusive
ibaibaibaibajəbajəba
Possessiveyou binabinabinabinabənabəna
Possessivethey obaobaobaobaobawəba