The Sepik Hill languages form the largest and most ramified branch of the Sepik languages of northern Papua New Guinea. They are spoken along the southern margin of the Sepik floodplain in the foothills of Central Range of south-central East Sepik Province.

Languages The languages according to Usher (2020) are,Sepik Hills, NewGuineaWorld

Sepik Hills Saniyo-Hiyewe Southwest Sepik Hills: Niksek (Paka, Gabiano), Piame, Hewa Bahinemo–Berinomo East Sepik Hills (Alamblak etc.)

The languages according to Foley (2018) are:

Sepik Hill Eastern (Alamblak etc.) Central (Bahinemo etc.) Western: Saniyo-Hiyewe, Paka (Setiali), Gabiano (Niksek), Piame, Bikaru, Umairof, Hewa

Other than disagreement at to what is a language or a dialect (Glottolog, for example, concludes that the 'Bikaru' language is probably spurious, and doesn't list Umairof at all), the only difference from Usher is in combining Sanio with the Southwest Sepik Hills languages as a Western branch.

Pronouns Pronouns in Sepik Hill languages:

! pronoun !! Sare !! Alamblak !! Saniyo-Hiyewe |- ! 1sg | an || na || ane |- ! 2sg | nɨ || ni || ne |- ! 3sg.m | rɨ || rər || rei |- ! 3sg.f | sɨ || rət || |- ! 1du | nond || nə || noto-(si) |- ! 2du | fin || nifɨn || fene-si |- ! 3du | fɨ || rəf || rowe-si |- ! 1pl | nom || nəm || nomo |- ! 2pl | mɨ || nikə(m) || fene |- ! 3pl | rom || rəm || rowe

Vocabulary comparison The following basic vocabulary words are from Davies & Comrie (1985),Davies, J. and Comrie, B. "A linguistic survey of the Upper Yuat". In Adams, K., Lauck, L., Miedema, J., Welling, F., Stokhof, W., Flassy, D., Oguri, H., Collier, K., Gregerson, K., Phinnemore, T., Scorza, D., Davies, J., Comrie, B. and Abbott, S. editors, Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 22. A-63:275-312. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1985. Dye et al. (1968),Dye W., Townsend, P., & Townsend, W. 1968. The Sepik Hill Languages: A preliminary report. Oceania 39: 146-156. Foley (2005),Foley, W.A. "Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik-Ramu basin". In Pawley, A., Attenborough, R., Golson, J. and Hide, R. editors, Papuan Pasts: Cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. PL-572:109-144. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 2005. Macdonald (1973),Macdonald, G.E. "The Teberan Language Family". In Franklin, K. editor, The linguistic situation in the Gulf District and adjacent areas, Papua New Guinea. C-26:111-148. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1973. and various SIL field notes, as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.

The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. ɲinga, ningaw, nikha for “eye”) or not (e.g. wabo, nuŋgař, yerɛpm for “bird”).

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Language !! Alamblak !! Bahinemo !! Berinomo !! Bisis !! Kapriman !! Bikaru !! Saniyo-Hiyewe |- ! head | mʌbogath; mɛ̈ƀɨǥatʰ || thu || tu tɛpi || tuʔus || toɣo || ʔambu; yowidi 'hɔřise || tu; worɛ siyaʔi |- ! hair | tʰɨ'maʀ̌č; tʌmarts; tʰɨ'maʀ̌š || thunʌba || to towa; tu sowa || tuam || tuwam || nɨmbɨ; yowididise || mato towe; tutowe |- ! ear | yimbɣindang; yɩmbɨǥin'daŋgɨtʰ; yɩmbʌlindangʌm || bʌsiya || pɛnɛhax || wanbatal || womblaja || haři; waʔaʌ || apahɛ; apaniyɛ |- ! eye | ɲinga; 'ɲiŋgaʀ̥̥̌; ningaw || niya || niya || nika || nikha || mɨn 'taʔamɨ; tařa || nihe; nihɛ |- ! nose | 'hʰušɨ ɨtʰ; khusɩmʌth; 'kʰučɨmɨtʰ; kusm || sɛkʌnɩ || ɛrɛm || sikʌľap̶ar || singova || taʔama; towi || ɛrɛme; ɛrɛmɛ |- ! tooth | bɩ'čɛ̈tʰ; biʃə; bɩ'šɛ̈tʰ; bɩsʌm || pi || pi || binikam || bim || ne; nɨmbi || pi |- ! tongue | tor; torkh; 'tʰoʀ̥̌tʰ || thɔlu || tor || toguʌl || thʌdɩs || ketasi; tɨgalɨ || sořowɛ; soruwɛ |- ! leg | wʌlat; 'wɷ'řatʰ; wura || lowa || rowa hɛna || wɛlis || wola || || lowe; rowɛ |- ! louse | nəm; 'nɛ̈mɨtʰ; nʌmo || nʌmu || tu nɛm || ninis || nʌmɩs || aƀʌkʰ; lema || nɛmɛ |- ! dog | yauʀ̥̌ʸ; yawi; yawu || yo || yao || yau || yom || waʔšɨ; waʔšʌ; wina || yo; you |- ! pig | 'ᵽɛ̈gɨʀ̥̌; fagʌr; fəɣ || fa || hɛ || p̶oʔol || fʌɣr || || fe |- ! bird | nongwar; 'nugwaʀ̥̌ || wabo || uro || nuŋgař || yerɛpm || heka; namʷio; waʔaƀi || iřowɛ; iruwɛ |- ! egg | fɣa; fokam; ᵽo'ǥat || wabo mu || uro wɛka || nuŋgwawobom || yuɣwar || heře akia; mbandung || hotɛ |- ! blood | khukhupam; kɨ'kʰupʰam || mahələ || marɛ hax || kukwem || kokwem || gugubase || fisa'i; fisaʔi |- ! bone | thʌphim; tɨ'pɩʀ̥̌; tɨpi || hʌbi || sɛtsɛpi || sɩbɩkʰam || sibevam || hɔři || paʔaře; pa'arɛ |- ! skin | tʰɨ'ǥatʰ; thʌkhath || thʌbi || tepi || tibi || thʌgas || ha'baisi; nbangɨ || tahɛ |- ! breast | mingam; miŋatʰ; niŋgam || mosu || mok || minika || mʌnikha || ařu'se:; muña || mo'u; moʔu |- ! tree | mᵼč; mim; mᵼš; mɨy || mi || mɛ || mom || mə || mi; sia || me; mɛ |- ! man | yima; 'yi'maʀ̥̌ || 'ɩma || muwɛ pɛhɛnɛ || nimař || wiyak || ntu; wɔbi || mɛni; mitaru |- ! woman | 'metɨtʰ7; metum || swani || mesan || toʔanʌs || toɣwan || taʔagwa; wita || taunɛ; tawnɛ |- ! sun | mar; 'mařɨʀ̥̌ || tɩniya || teniya || maľɛľɛl || yɛneza || ñʌ; yaki || poɔyuɛ; poweyɛ |- ! moon | yam; 'yamɨtʰ; yamʌth || yamal || nop || yaguso || yagos || babume; mpaʔopmu || yamɛ; yamɛ' |- ! water | bukbam; 'bupʰam; bu-pam || hagi || saʔ || sagim || sagim || eipa; ngu || sa'i; saʔi |- ! fire | kaɣ; kʰaǥɨtʰ; khaxth || ya || itai || yoʔoy || moyos || ʔiya; sea || yɛhɛ |- ! stone | tʰaǥᵗč|š; taxim || ba || pa || obak || obar || hana; tumbu || tapiyɛ |- ! road, path | yɨ'ǥotʸoǥatʰ || || yo || ʔatʰoř || || yaʔambu; yəřo; yəto || |- ! name | 'yuƀatʰ; yufa; yufat || wufa || wiyapa || || ovas || || yapɛ |- ! eat | fa; ka; 'kʰaɛ̈ʀ̥̌; weyanum; ye || diyaw || || bʌľia̠s || asoliya || ʔagʌnʌ || aiyei; asiyʌ |- ! one | rɛphar; rpa; řɨpʰatʰ || dʌbatha || tɛpa || tabak || dɩbar || kɨtʌkʰ; yoko habia || hɛta'i; taʔi |- ! two | hutsif; xočiᵽ; 'xošɩᵽ || husi || howis || wɩtɩp || kothi || ƀɩtik; yoko labo || hɛsi

References