Tamolan languages

The Tamolan languages are a small family of clearly related languages spoken in the region of the Guam River in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.

Tamolan
Guam River
Geographic distribution	Guam River, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification	Ramu Ramu proper Tamolan–Ataitan Tamolan
Language codes
Glottolog	tamo1242

Languages

The Tamolan languages are:

• Tamolan
  • Inapang (dialect continuum)
    • Midsivindi
    • Itutang (Isarikan)
    • Yigavesakama
  • Chini–Iski
    • Akrukay (Chini)
    • Iski (dialect continuum)
      • Romkun
      • Breri

Kominimung and Igana are said to also be Tamolan languages, but no data has been collected to establish that.

Tamolan is classified among the Ramu languages of northern Papua New Guinea.

Phonemes

Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:

		Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Nasal		*m	*n		*ŋ
Plosive	plain	*p	*t		*k
	prenasalized	*ᵐb	*ⁿd		*ᵑg
Affricate			*ⁿdz
Fricative			*s
Liquid		*w	*ɾ	*j	*ɣ

Vowels are *i *ʉ *u *a.

Pronouns

Usher (2020) reconstructs the pronouns as:

	sg	du	pl
1	*uku	*aŋgʉ	*ani
2	*un	*uŋgʉ	*uni
3	*an, *ma	?	?

Plus 1sg object *na.

Proto-Tamolan–Ataitan (Proto-Guam–Moam) is very similar, and nearly identical to Proto-Moam.

External links

• Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Proto–Guam River