Kapauri–Sause languages

Kwerbic language family of Indonesia
Kapauri–Sause
Geographic
distribution
New Guinea
Linguistic classificationFoja Range
  • Kwerbic
    • Kapauri–Sause
Subdivisions
  • Kapauri
  • Sause
GlottologNone

The Kapauri–Sause (Kapori–Sause) languages form a small language family spoken along the middle Taritatu River in the Jayapura Regency of Papua, Indonesia. They are two languages, Kapauri (Kapori) and Sause, which are not particularly close.

Classification

There is a history of linking at least Kapauri to the Kaure languages (see Kaure–Kapori languages). However, they show no particular affiliation, and Kapauri appears to be closer to Kwerba. Usher demonstrated a connection instead with another erstwhile isolate, Sause, together forming a branch of Kwerbic.[1] A partial reconstruction of proto-Kapauri–Sause can be found there.

Proto-language

Phonemes

Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows. Apparent gaps may be due to poverty of data (e.g., there are /p/, /ɸ/ and /ɡ/ in the languages, but as of 2020 they have not been reconstructed for the protolanguage):[1]

*m *n
*t *s *k
*b
*w *j *h
*i *u
*e *o
*a [*aː]

Pronouns

Pronouns are reconstructed as follow.[1]

proto-KS Kapauri Sause
1sg *ka kaku
2sg u e
3sg *aɾ̃oC aːnuʔ arok
1pl *ne aɽuʔ ne

Basic vocabulary

Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:[1]

gloss Proto-Kapauri-Sause
head *baːɽ
ear *t[o̝/u]waro̝
tooth *w₂ano̝
tongue *mɛn₂o̝
blood *ko̝mo̝
bone *aːᵘC
breast *mɵ̝N
louse *hɛno̝
dog *unu
bird *ɽe̝Cne̝N
egg *huwini
sun *nisiki (?)
moon *bɛ[N/nV]
water/river *bo̝C
path *nawaɽo̝
eat *na[N/nV]
two *nɛbɽe̝[na]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Kapauri–Sause at New Guinea World

External links

  • Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Proto-Kapauri–Sause
  • v
  • t
  • e
Papuan language families
(Palmer 2018 classification)
Trans-New Guinea
subgroups
Central Papua, Indonesia
Southeast Papua, Indonesia
Southwest Papua New Guinea
Central Papua New Guinea
Papuan Peninsula
Eastern Nusantara
families and isolatesBird's Head Peninsula
families and isolatesNorthern Western New Guinea
families and isolatesCentral Western New Guinea
families and isolatesSepik-Ramu basin
families and isolates
Torricelli subgroups
Sepik subgroups
Ramu subgroups
Gulf of Papua and southern New Guinea
families and isolatesBismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands
families and isolatesRossel Island
isolateProposed groupingsProto-language