Safeyoka, or Ampale, is an Angan language of Papua New Guinea. Other names of this language include Ambari, Ampeeli, Ampeeli-Wojokeso, and Ampele. According to a 1980 census, there were around 2,390 native speakers. Commonly known as Ampale, the dialect is called Wojokeso. Speakers of Ampale range from the Waffa River to the Banir River, which is located in the northern part of Papua New Guinea. The Wojokeso dialect is spoken by people who live in five villages where multiple districts, the Kaiapit, Mumeng and Menyama come together in the Morobe Province.
Phonology +ConsonantsWest, Idi (1992). Ampeeli Organised Phonology Data. SIL International.LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal Plosive Fricative Nasal Approximant /p t k/ are voiced / / following homorganic nasals. /f/ is voiced [~] intervocalically. The sequences /hm hn/ are realized as [ ]. /h/ is in free variation with , and can optionally be pronounced intervocalically. /r/ manifests as utterance-initially. +VowelsFrontBackHighMid Low /i/ and /u/ are both reduced to when unstressed.
Safeyoka is also tonal, distinguishing between high and low tone.
Grammar
Subject Personal Pronouns In the term stem of Ampale outlines, the object person affixes are included in them. Class 2 verb roots, /put/ and /kill/, they occur immediately following the root. Other verb roots immediately come before the root. Object person affixes include:
+ Singualr Dual Plural 1st Person nɨ- e- naa-/ne- 2nd Person kɨ- ze- ze- 3rd Person u- u- u-
Sentence Structure The Ampale language classifies with the Wojokeso dialect of the Angan language stock. According to B.A Hooley and K.A. McElhanon, the language is referred to as the "Languages of the Morobe District - New Guinea". The sentence types of the Wojokeso are pattern types. On non-final verbs, the Wojokeso links clauses together by the means of affixes or clitics.
Simple The simple sentence formula is "+ Base: General Clause/Elliptical Clause + Terminal: Final Intonation." The sentence is explained by a single base and final intonation. In other words, the single base is expounded by the general clause. Single base moods include: Indicative, Interrogative, Dubitative, Information interrogative, Avolitional, and Exclamatory. Single BasesExampleGeneral Clause 1 = IndicativeGeneral Clause 2 = InterrogativeGeneral Clause 3 = DubitativeGeneral Clause 4 = Information InterrogativeGeneral Clause 5 = AvolitionalGeneral Clause 6 = Exclamatory
Series The series sentence indicates multiple actions a person does. There is no grammatical distinction between temporal succession and temporal overlap. Usually used to explain actions which are performed by a dual or plural subject. However, actions with this partial change in subject may also be classified as a sequence sentence.
Sequence The sequence sentence indicates an order of actions being completed by a subject, where base 1 differs from base 2. The action of the first base is usually completed before the action of the second base even begins. The deep structure of this sentence type is that it is purely based on succession.
Example:
"Sɨkuno nomeHONƗNGKI sukwo'miyomo hofantiso toho nelofAHONƗNGKI"
This translates into "Darkness came and night mosquitoes bit us". This expresses temporal succession.
Tense FutureWojokesoEnglishSubjectivey-ontɨfitnneThey would, they will doUnrealized Subjectivey-ontɨtinnesohiloWould have doneNear Futureu-y-on ɨtfehoThey will doHortative-Imperativeu-y-ɨfeLet them do it Non-FutureWojokesoEnglishPresent Incompletey-alowofoThey are doing itPresent Completey-ohofoThey did itNarrative Pasthumi-y-ohofiThey did itNear Pasti-malofoThey did itFar Pasti-mentohofoThey did it a long time agoHabitual Pasti-motofoThey used to do it regularly
References