Orya–Tor languages

Language family of Western New Guinea, Indonesia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Orya–Tor languages are a family of just over a dozen Papuan languages spoken in Western New Guinea, Indonesia.

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...
Orya–Tor
Geographic
distribution
Tor River region, Western New Guinea
Linguistic classificationNorthwest Papuan?
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologtoro1256
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Classification

The Tor family, named after the Tor River, is clearly established. Its closest relative appears to be Orya.

Stephen Wurm (1975) linked Orya and the Tor languages with the Lakes Plain languages, forming a branch of his Trans–New Guinea phylum. Clouse (1997) found no evidence of such a connection.[1] Malcolm Ross (2005) linked them instead with part of another erstwhile branch of TNG in a Tor–Kwerba proposal, and Usher makes a broadly similar proposal. Glottolog accepts only the link with Orya as having been demonstrated.[2]

Languages

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Perspective

Foley (2018)

Foley (2018) provides the following classification.[3]

Tor

Orya (Uria / Warpok / Warpu)

Sause (Seuce) (?)

Berik (Upper Tor)

Itik

Kwesten

Mander [not a distinct language]

Dineor (Maremgi)

Wares [doesn't exist]

Bonerif (Benaraf / Edwas – not the same language)

Dabe

Jofotek-Bromnya

Keijar (Keder)

Kwinsu (Ansudu)

Betaf (Tena)

Vitou (Takar)

Foley considers the inclusion of Sause within the Tor family to be questionable due to insufficient lexical evidence.[3] See Kapauri–Sause languages.

Usher (2020)

Timothy Usher provides the following classification:[4]

Orya  Tor River

Orya

Tor River

Maremgi (Dineor)

Edwas (Benaraf)

Berik–Bonerif
East Tor River

Jofotek (Mander)

Itik

Tor Coast

Kwesten

Dabe

Keijar

East Tor Coast

Kwinsu

Fitou–Tena

Tena (Betaf)

Fitou (Vitou)

Jofotek and Mander are found to be the same language, whereas the ISO conflation of Edwas and Bonerif is found to be spurious. A Wares language is not attested. (The Wares people are not known to have a distinct language, and the language of the village of Wares is Mawes.)[5]

Proto-language

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Perspective

Phonemes

Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory tentatively as follows:[4]

*m*n
*p*t*s*k*kʷ
*b*d*dz*gʷ
*w

The stop *d is marginal and only occurs initially. *ɾ does not occur initially.

*i*u
*e*o
*a

Pronouns

The pronouns Ross reconstructs for proto-Orya–Tor are,

I*aiexclusive we ?
inclusive we*ne
thou*emeiyou*em
s/he*jethey ?

Usher (2020) reconstructs the pronouns of the East Tor Coast branch as:[4]

More information sg, pl ...
East Tor Coast
sgpl
1excl *ai/ana*ai-saise (?)
1incl *ne-saise (?)
2 *im[i]*im[i]-saise
3 *dei*dei-saise
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Basic vocabulary

Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:[4]

More information gloss, Proto-Orya-Tor River ...
glossProto-Orya-Tor RiverProto-Tor RiverOrya
head *nəbaɾ*nəbaɾ
leaf/hair *aɾ[ɛ/a][n/ŋ]*aɾ[ɛ/a][n/ŋ]ala
eye *nVwɛ*nVwɛnwe
nose *masɛ*masɛmase
tongue *mapəɾ[Vm]*mafəɾVmmahal
foot/leg *ta[g]əna*ta[g]ənatana
breast *mo̝m*mo̝mmom
louse *nɛna*nɛna
dog *gʷəɾa*gʷəɾa
pig *gʷas*gʷas
bird *dzu*dzu
egg *s[u]w[e̝]*s[u]w[e̝]
tree/wood *te̝*te̝te
woman/wife *kʷe̝*kʷe̝we
moon *p[ɛⁱ]n*fɛⁱn
water *pɔ*fɔho
path *nVɾ*nVɾ
name *bo̝s[ɛ/a]*bo̝s[ɛ/a]bose
one *apa*afa
two *nawɛt*nawɛt
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References

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