Kwomtari languages

For the hypothetical language family also called Kwomtari, see Kwomtari–Fas languages.

Kwomtari
Geographic distribution:	Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification:	perhaps Left May – Kwomtari or Kwomtari–Fas
Subdivisions:	Kwomtari–Nai Guriaso
Glottolog:	kwom1263  (Kwomtari–Nai) guri1248  (Guriaso)
The neighboring Kwomtari and Fas language families

The Kwomtari languages are a small language family of Papua New Guinea.

Classification

The family consists of at least the two relatively closely related languages Kwomtari and Nai. Baron adds the highly divergent language Guriaso:

• Kwomtari stock
  • Guriaso
  • Kwomtari–Nai family (Nuclear Kwomtari)
    • Kwomtari
    • Nai (aka Biaka)

but Glottolog does not accept that the relationship has been established.

There has been confusion over the membership of the Kwomtari family, apparently due to a misalignment in the publication (Loving & Bass 1964) of the data used for the initial classification. (See Baron 1983.) The Kwomtari languages are generally classified as part of a larger as yet unproven Kwomtari–Fas family, which confusingly is also often called "Kwomtari" in the literature. However, Baron sees no evidence that the similarities are due to relationship. See Kwomtari–Fas languages for details.

Guriaso shares a small number of cognates with Kwomtari–Nai. Baron (1983) says the evidence is convincing once a correspondence between /ɾ~l/ and /n/ (from *ɾ) is established:

Gloss	Guriaso	Kwomtari
Verb suffixes (1pl, 2pl, 3pl)	-nɔ, -mɛ, -no	-ɾe, -mo, -ɾe*
dog	map	mau
ear	mətɛnu	futɛne
crocodile	mɔməni	maməle
small	tɔkəno	tɔkweɾo
nose	apədu	tipu**

* Compare Biaka -ɾo, -mo, -na.

** Metathesis of /p/ and /t/.

However, the conclusion that Guriaso is related to Kwomtari is disputed by Glottolog.

External links

• Wietze Baron, The Kwomtari Phylum (accessed 2011-4-15)