The Nukuma languages are a small family of three clearly related languages:Ma, New Guinea World Kwoma Kwanga–Mende Kwanga Seim

They are generally classified among the Sepik languages of northern Papua New Guinea; Malcolm Ross places them in a Middle Sepik branch of that family.

They are spoken to the north of the Sepik River near Ambunti, and west of the Ambulas-speaking region of Mapr (near Wosera town).

Pronouns Pronouns in Nukuma languages:

! pronoun ! Kwoma ! Mende |- ! | an || an ~ na ~ a |- ! . | mɨ || mi |- ! . | ni || ɲi |- ! . | rɨ || or ~ ri |- ! . | sɨ || os ~ si |- ! | si || ʃi |- ! | ki || ʃi |- ! | pɨr || fri |- ! | no || ni |- ! | kwo || ci |- ! | ye || li

Vocabulary comparison The following basic vocabulary words are from 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. and Laycock (1968),Laycock, Donald C. 1968. Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66. as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.

The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. masək, masiki for “head”) or not (e.g. miːma, nogəpie for “woman”).

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! gloss !! Kwoma !! Mende |- ! head | masək || masiki |- ! ear | fuː; mabiya || mampla |- ! eye | miː; miyi || məsokome |- ! nose | sumojɨ; sumwonj || miñompo |- ! tooth | pu; tarəkwi || fu |- ! tongue | kwunja; tarekwoy || tarple |- ! leg | yaːte; yati || kumpa |- ! louse | nəkə; nɨka || nika |- ! dog | asa || asa |- ! pig | buri; poyi || |- ! bird | apu || afi |- ! egg | apo; bey; mpei || fəla |- ! blood | pi || fi |- ! bone | apo; hapa || hapa |- ! skin | mampə || maume |- ! breast | muk; muku || muku |- ! tree | me || mi |- ! man | ma || ma |- ! woman | miːma || nogəpie |- ! sun | ya || ta |- ! moon | nowəka; nɨwɨka || niyaka |- ! water | uku || uku |- ! fire | hi; hiː || hi |- ! stone | papa || süŋkye |- ! name | hi || |- ! eat | a || |- ! one | pochi || |- ! two | uprus || frišip

See also Kwoma people

References