Usarufa is a Kainantu language spoken by the people of the same name in Papua New Guinea. It belongs to the Gauwa branch of the Kainantu family of the Kainantu–Goroka languages. The language area consists of six villages: Moife, Imikori, Irafo, Kagu, Agura 1, and Agura 2. Its ISO 639 code is usa.
As of 2009, the language was reported to have had about 1,200 speakers and no fluent speakers below the age of 25, which makes it an endangered language.
Phonology This section is derived from the analyses presented in Bee 1965 in which an inventory of eighteen consonants is favoured.
+ Usarufa consonant phonemes Labial Alveolar Palatal VelarGlottalPlosiveplain glottalised Nasal plain glottalised geminate Approximantplain glottalised
The distribution of these consonants is determined by their position within a stress group, a segment which has one primary stress, the placement of which is determined by a pitch contour. This stress group may consist of two or more syllables. Only can occur as the onset of a stress group, and only can occur finally. In stress-medial position all consonant phonemes can occur, and are realised as and , respectively. may be realised as .
An alternative analysis treats all glottalised and geminate consonants as secondary, in which case there are only nine consonant phonemes: +Usarufa consonant phonemes, alternative analysisLabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalPlosive Nasal Approximant Usarufa has an unremarkable five-vowel system. + Usarufa vowel phonemes Front Central Back Close Mid Open , , and have the allophones , and , respectively. may be realised as following coronal or palatal phonemes.
See also Vida Chenoweth, who studied the Usarufa music Aikuma, mobile software for language recording, first used to record Usarufa
References
External links
OLAC Resources in and about the Usarufa Language
Paradisec has a collection of Stephen A Wurm's materials (SAW3) that include Usarufa materials.