Maring language

Not to be confused with Maring language (India).

Maring, also known as Mareng or Yoadabe-Watoare, is a Trans–New Guinea language of the Chimbu–Wahgi branch. Speakers of the language can be found in the Bismarck range of the Madang province or in the Hagen district of the Western Highlands province. Dialects of the Maring language are Central Maring, Eastern Maring, Timbunki, Tsuwenki, Karamba, and Kambegl. All Maring speakers can understand the Central Maring dialect.

Maring
Mareng, Yoadabe-Watoare
Native to	Papua New Guinea
Region	Madang Province and Western Highlands Province
Ethnicity	Maring, such as the Tsembaga Maring
Native speakers	(11,000 cited 1998)[1]
Language family	Trans–New Guinea Chimbu–Wahgi Jimi Maring
Dialects	Central Maring Eastern Maring Timbunki Tsuwenki Karamba Kambegl
Language codes
ISO 639-3	mbw
Glottolog	mari1435
ELP	Maring

Language status and development

According to EGIDS, the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale, the Maring language is rated as a 5.^[2] This rating on EGIDS means that this language is still developing, meaning that the language is not sustainable but there is significant use of the language verbally and literately.^[3] According to AES, the Agglomerated Endangerment Status, the Maring language is considered as threatened.^[4]

The development of the language is low. The literacy rate of native speakers is below 5%, while the rate of people who use Maring as a second language is below 5%.

Phonology

Phonemic and Orthographic Inventory^[5]

ɑ

mb

nd

ə

ɛ

ŋg

i

ndzj

k

l

m

n

nj

ŋ

o

p

r

tsj

t

u

w

j

a

b

d

e

ee

g

i

j

k

l

m

n

ny

ng

o

p

r

s

t

u

w

y

A

B

D

G

J

K

L

M

N

Ny

Ng

P

R

S

T

W

Y

/w/ voiced labial-velar approximant

/^mb/ voiced prenasalised bilabial plosive

/ⁿd/ voiced prenasalised dental plosive

/^ŋg/ voiced prenasalised velar plosive

/n^j/ voiced palatalized dental affricate

/ts^j/ voiceless palatalized dental affricate

/ⁿdz^j/ voiced prenasalized dental affricate

Maring Consonants

	Bilabial	Dental	Alveolar	Postalveolar	Palatal	Velar
Plosive	p	t				k
Nasal	m	n				ɲ
Trill		r
Tap or Flap
Fricative
Lateral Fricative
Approximant					j
Lateral Approximant		l

Maring Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Close-mid		ə	o
Open-mid	ɛ
Open			ɑ

Syllable patterns

The following are different patterns of consonants (C) and vowels (V) for syllables. Examples for each pattern show the Maring word with each syllable separated by a period. The example syllable pattern in the word will be in bold. The English translation of the word will follow in single quotation.

V

• a.sa 'sister'
• ai.u.gui 'to close'
• au.a 'different'

VV

• ae 'we two'
• ai.re 'what, how'

VC

• am 'breast'
• an.pek 'quickly'
• ai.uk 'flat'

CV

• ma 'possum'
• na.ko 'I'
• ro.ba.da 'hot'
• a.bo 'buttocks'

CVV

• moe 'yam type'
• mai.wa 'very large'
• jee.kai 'grub type'

CVC

• kong 'taro'
• kam.gul 'thunder'
• tu.wum.pai 'pandanus sp.'
• a.bin 'your wife'

CVVC

• mieng 'tree sp.'
• a.ruib 'taro type'