Kwerba is a Papuan language of Indonesia. Alternate names are Airmati (Armati), Koassa, Mataweja, Naibedj, Segar Tor, Tekutameso.
| Kwerba | |
|---|---|
| Sasawa | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Sarmi Regency, Papua |
Native speakers | (2,500 cited 1996)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kwe |
| Glottolog | nucl1595 |
Kwerba is spoken in Apiaweti, Aurime, Munukania, Tatsewalem, and Wamariri villages in Sarmi Regency.[2]
Phonology
edit| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p pʷ | t | tʃ | k kʷ |
| Fricative | s | |||
| Nasal | m mʷ | n | ɲ | ŋ |
| Approximant | w | r | j |
- The consonants /p k/ can be heard as [ɸ x] intervocalically.
- The plosive and affricate consonants can be aspirated word-finally.
- /s/ sometimes varies to [h] word initially and intervocalically for some speakers.
- /r/ does not occur word-initially.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Near-high | ɪ | ||
| Mid-high | e | ə | o |
| Mid-low | ɛ | ||
| Low | a |
Stress occurs on the penultimate syllable.[3]
Pronouns
editKwerba nominative pronouns as given in Foley (2018):[4]
singular dual plural 1st person excl co nano’ nino incl na’no neno 2nd person am nono nom 3rd person iiniim iinembwano iinembwa
References
edit- ^ Kwerba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2019). "Indonesia languages". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (22nd ed.). Dallas: SIL International.
- ^ a b c Slizer, Peter J. (1976). Suharno, Ignatius; Pike, Kenneth L. (eds.). "A six-week phonemic analysis of Air Mati with a tentative orthography". From Baudi to Indonesian. Jayapura: Cenderawasih University and Summer Institute of Linguistics: 192–201.
- ^ Foley, William A. (2018). "The languages of Northwest New Guinea". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 433–568. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.