| Kamasau | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | East Sepik Province |
Native speakers | 960 (2003)[1] |
Torricelli
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kms |
| Glottolog | kama1367 |
| ELP | Kamasau |
 Kamasau language is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
| Coordinates: 3°44′08″S 143°48′55″E / 3.735538°S 143.815344°E / -3.735538; 143.815344 (Kamasau) | |
Kamasau is an endangered Torricelli language of Turubu Rural LLG, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.[2]
Dialects
There are three dialects:[1][2]
- Ghini dialect, spoken in Wandomi (3°52′07″S 143°51′56″E / 3.868514°S 143.865581°E / -3.868514; 143.865581 (Wandomin)), Wobu (3°55′10″S 143°56′00″E / 3.919328°S 143.933212°E / -3.919328; 143.933212 (Wobu)), and Yibab (3°51′58″S 143°51′39″E / 3.866041°S 143.860699°E / -3.866041; 143.860699 (Ibab)) villages
- Hagi dialect, spoken in Kenyari village (3°45′41″S 143°45′06″E / 3.761477°S 143.751797°E / -3.761477; 143.751797 (Kinyari))
- Soigi and Segi dialects, spoken in Kamasau (3°44′08″S 143°48′55″E / 3.735538°S 143.815344°E / -3.735538; 143.815344 (Kamasau)), Tring (3°47′27″S 143°50′29″E / 3.790725°S 143.841425°E / -3.790725; 143.841425 (Tring (Tiling))), and Wau (3°47′17″S 143°52′29″E / 3.787993°S 143.87474°E / -3.787993; 143.87474 (Wau 1 & 2)) villages
Ghini dialect is divergent. The dictionary is based on the Segi dialect of Tring.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | t | tʃ | k | ʔ | |
| voiced | b | d | dʒ | ɡ | ||
| prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮdʒ | ᵑg | ||
| Fricative | voiceless | ɸ | s | h | ||
| voiced | β | ɣ | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||
| Trill | r | |||||
| Approximant | w | j | ||||
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Open | a |
Notes
- Kamasau at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
- Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. p. 305. doi:10.1515/9783110295252-003. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.