Purari language


Purari is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea.

Names

Purari is also known as Koriki, Evorra, I'ai, Maipua, and Namau. "Namau" is a colonial term which means "deaf, inattentive, or stupid." Today people of the Purari Delta find this term offensive. F.E. Williams reports that the "n interpreter suggests that by some misunderstanding the name had its origin in the despair of an early missionary, who, finding the natives turned a deaf ear to his teaching, dubbed them all 'Namau'.". Koriki, I'ai, and Maipua refer to self-defining groups that make up the six groups that today compose the people who speak Purari. Along with the Baroi, Kaimari and the Vaimuru, these groups speak mutually intelligible dialects of Purari.
The name Baimuru is given in Petterson.

Classification

Noting that the few similarities with the Eleman languages may be because of loanwords, Pawley and Hammarström leave it as unclassified rather than as part of Trans-New Guinea.

Pronouns

Pronouns are 1sg nai, 2sg ni, 1pl enei. The first may resemble Trans–New Guinea *na, but Purari appears to be related to the Binanderean–Goilalan languages.

Phonology

Unlike most other neighboring Papuan languages, Purari is non-tonal.