Duwet, also known as Guwot or Waing, is an aberrant member of the Busu subgroup of Lower Markham languages in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. Duwet is spoken by about 400 people and appears to have been heavily influenced by its neighboring Nabak language (also called Wain) of the Papuan Trans–New Guinea languages. It is spoken in the three villages of Lambaip, Lawasumbileng, and Ninggiet.[2]
| Duwet | |
|---|---|
| Guwot, Waing | |
| Region | New Guinea |
Native speakers | 400 (2011)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | gve |
| Glottolog | duwe1237 |
| ELP | Duwet |
 Duwet is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Duwet is spoken in the three villages of Lambaip (6°27′38″S 146°55′10″E / 6.460583°S 146.91932°E), Lawasumbileng, and Ninggiet in Nabak Rural LLG.[2]
Morphology
editPronouns and person markers
editSubject prefixes
edit| Person | Singular –past | Singular +past | Plural –past | Plural +past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | nga- | ngga- | manga- | manga- |
| 2nd person | ngu- | nggu- | manga- | manga- |
| 3rd person | ngi- | nggi- | ngi- | nggi- |
Numerals
editTraditional Duwet numerals include only three basic forms: 'one', 'two', and 'hand (= five)'.
| Numeral | Term | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ta(gine)/ta(ine) | 'one' |
| 2 | seik | 'two' |
| 3 | seik mba ta | 'two and one' |
| 4 | seik mba seik | 'two and two' |
| 5 | lima-ngg | 'hand-my' |
References
edit- ^ Duwet at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b Holzknecht, Susanne (1989). The Markham Languages of Papua New Guinea. Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 0-85883-394-8.
^ Susanne Holzknecht (1989). The Markham Languages of Papua New Guinea. Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 0-85883-394-8.
- Holzknecht, Susanne (2001). "Number and Person in the Duwet Language of Papua New Guinea." In Andrew Pawley, Malcolm Ross, and Darrell Tryon, eds., The Boy from Bundaberg: Studies in Melanesian Linguistics in Honour of Tom Dutton, 175-191. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.