Mandobo language

Mandobo, or Kaeti, is a Papuan language of Mandobo District in Boven Digoel Regency and Ulilin District in Merauke Regency, South Papua, Indonesia.

Mandobo
Dumut
Kaeti
Native to	Indonesia
Region	Boven Digoel Regency and Merauke Regency, South Papua
Native speakers	30,000 (2002)[1]
Language family	Trans–New Guinea Greater Awyu Awyu–Dumut Dumut Mandobo
Dialects	Bawah Atas Kokenop
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: bwp – Mandobo Bawah aax – Mandobo Atas
Glottolog	mand1473

Varieties

Ethnologue distinguishes two languages:

• Mandobo Bawah, spoken on the Lower Mandobo River
• Mandobo Atas, spoken on the Upper Mandobo River

Phonology

Vowels

	Front		Central	Back
Close	i	y		u
Mid	e			o
Open			a

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Dorsal
Plosive	voiceless	p	t	k
	prenasal	ᵐb	ⁿd	ᵑɡ
Nasal		m	n
Rhotic			ɾ
Approximant		w		j

^[2]

Evolution

See also: Greater Awyu languages § Evolution

Below are some Kaeti reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea proposed by Pawley (2012), drawn from McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970).^[3][4]

proto-Trans-New Guinea	Kaeti
*maŋgat[a] ‘teeth, mouth’	magot
*mVkVm ‘cheek’	(a)moka (cf. Axu moxo pe)
*maŋgV ‘compact round object’	(Axu mügo ‘egg’)
*amu ‘breast’	am
*k(o,u)ma(n,ŋ)[V] ‘neck, nape’	koman
*kumV- ‘die’	kün (cf. Sawuy xom-, Wambon N. & Wambon S. kim-)
*mVkVm ‘cheek, jaw’	(a)moka ‘cheek’
*na ‘1SG’	nø(p)
*ni, *nu ‘1PL free pron.’	no-güp
*na- ‘eat’	(Wambon en-)
*k(o,u)ma(n,ŋ)[V] ‘neck, nape’	koman
*mb(i,u)t(i,u)C ‘fingernail’	betit
*imbi ‘name’	üp
*apa[pa]ta ‘butterfly’	apap
*k(a,o)ndok[V] ‘foot, leg’	kodok
*andu- ‘to cook’	odu
*mb(i,u)t(i,u)C ‘fingernail’	betit
*(ŋg,k)iti-maŋgV ‘eye’	(?) kerop
*(mb,p)ututu- ‘to fly’	(?) bere(na)
*kumut, *tumuk ‘thunder’	komöt
*maŋgat[a] ‘teeth, mouth’	magot
*ŋga ‘2SG’	gu
*maŋgat[a] ‘teeth, mouth’	magot
*maŋgV ‘compact round object’	(Axu mügo ‘egg’)
*ka(nd,t)(e,i)kV ‘ear’	kere(top)
*k(a,o)ndok[V] ‘foot, leg’	kodok
*ka(nd,t)apu ‘skin’	kotae
*kumbutu ‘wind’	kiow
*kin(i,u)- ‘sleep’	kinum
*kumV- ‘die’	kün
*k(o,u)ma(n,ŋ)[V] ‘neck’	koman
*kuya ‘cassowary’	(Sawuy kuye)
*kV(mb,p)(i,u)t(i,u) ‘head’	(?) xebia(an)
*mVkVm ‘cheek’	(a)moka (cf. Axu moxo pe)
*kutV(mb,p)(a,u)[C] ‘long’	(?) guru(op)
*ok[V] ‘water’	ok
*k(a,o)ndok[V] ‘foot’	kodok

Further reading

• Jang, Hong-Tae. 2003. Survey report on languages of southeastern foothills in Papua Merauke Regency of Papua, Indonesia. Manuscript.
• Lebold, Randy, Ronald Kriens and Yunita Susanto. 2013. A Report on the Bamgi, Kia, and Lower Digul River Language Survey in Papua, Indonesia. SIL International.