Sogeram languages

The Sogeram languages are a family of languages in the Madang stock of New Guinea. They are named after the Sogeram River.^[1]

In earlier classifications, such as that of Wurm, most of the Sogeram family were called "Wanang", after the Wanang River. The exceptions were Faita, placed as a separate branch of the Southern Adelbert languages, and Mum–Sirva (then called the "Sikan" family), which were classified with the other branch, Josephstaal (Tomul River).

Languages

Daniels (2016) classifies the Sogeram languages in three branches, including some recently documented languages.^[2]

Sogeram

West Sogeram
- Mand
- Nend
Central Segeram
- Manat
- Apalɨ
- North Central Sogeram (Sikan): Mum, Sirva
"East" Sogeram
- Gants
- Kursav
- Aisian: Magɨ, Aisi

Daniels (2017), following Pawley, resolves the issue of Gants by classifying it as East Sogeram, closest to Kursav though he refrains from claiming the two languages form a clade. He notes that the name "East Sogeram" is no longer geographically appropriate, as Gants would be the westernmost Sogeram language.^[3]

Recently discovered Magɨyi may also be a Sogeram language, with the forms of identified cognates closest to Mum.^[4]

Because these languages form a chain, where each influences its neighbors, the branching of the family is not clear. Usher divides the languages in nearly the same way, differing only in the placement of Manat:^[1]

Sogeram River
- West Sogeram River
  - Atemple–Nend: Atemble (Atemple, Mand), Nend (Angaua)
  - Paynamar (Manat)
- Central Sogeram River
  - Apali (Emerum)
  - Mum–Sirva: Mum (Katiati), Sileibi (Sirva)
- South Sogeram River
  - Faita (Kulsab/Kursav)
  - Gants
  - Musak (Aisi)

Names

Below are Sogeram language names in Daniels (2015) compared to names listed in Z'graggen (1975), along with their respective meanings.^[5]^: 6

Proto-language

A phonological reconstruction of Proto-Sogeram has been proposed by Daniels (2015).^[6]

Phonology

Proto-Sogeram phonemic inventory according to Daniels (2015):^[6]^: 55

Pronouns

Daniels (2017) reconstructs the pronouns as follows:^[3]

Compare Ross's proto-Madang singular pronouns *ya, *na, *nu/*ua.

Lexicon

Selected lexical reconstructions from Daniels (2015) are listed below.^[6]^{: 360–392}

Comparisons

The following is a comparative table of reconstructed forms in Proto-Sogeram and Proto-Northern Adelbert.^[7]^: 472

References

^ a b Usher, Timothy. 2020. Sogeram River. New Guinea World.
^ Daniels, Don. 2016. Magɨ: An undocumented language of Papua New Guinea. Oceanic Linguistics 55: 199-224.
^ a b Daniels, Don. 2017. Gants is a Sogeram Language. Language and Linguistics in Melanesia 35: 82-93.
^ ISO code request 2013-029
^ Z'graggen, John A. 1975. The Languages of the Madang District, Papua New Guinea. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
^ a b c Daniels, Don. 2015. A Reconstruction of Proto-Sogeram Phonology, Lexicon, and Morphosyntax. Doctoral dissertation. University of California, Santa Barbara.
^ Pick, Andrew (2020). A reconstruction of Proto-Northern Adelbert phonology and lexicon (PDF) (PhD dissertation). University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.