Suarmin language

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Suarmin, or Asaba, is a Sepik language spoken in Sandaun Province, Papua-New Guinea. Alternative names are Asabano, Duranmin.

Suarmin
Asaba
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionSandaun Province
Native speakers
140 (2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3seo
Glottologsuar1238
ELPAsaba
Suarmin is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Glottolog leaves it unclassified.

Pronouns

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Pronouns are:[2]

sg du pl
1incl adi abe
1excl a nadi nesine
2 abo abodua apa
3 yo atadua ata

Noun classes

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In Asaba, noun class affixes are suffixed to nouns. There are five noun classes. Examples:[2]

class singular (ex.) plural (ex.) gloss (ex.)
class 1 nu-bu nu-le house(s)
class 2 mena-du mena-no pig(s)
class 3 kabia-si kabia-le stone(s)
class 4 moko-ni moko-le fork(s)
class 5 nomo-so nomo-l stone adze(s)

Class 1 is the default noun class.

Modifying adjectives agree with head nouns in class:[2]

na-bu

tree-I.SG

kamaya-bu

big-I.SG

na-bu kamaya-bu

tree-I.SG big-I.SG

‘tall tree’

kaiyebe-du

cassowary-II.SG

kamaya-du

big-II.SG

kaiyebe-du kamaya-du

cassowary-II.SG big-II.SG

‘big cassowary’

References

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  1. ^ Suarmin at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". 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. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.