Marind–Yaqai languages
The Marind–Yaqai languages are a well established language family of Papuan languages, spoken by the Marind-anim. They form part of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classifications of Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross, and were established as part of the Anim branch of TNG by Timothy Usher.Languages
The languages are:
Usher reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:
Vowels are *a *e *i *o *u.Pronouns
The pronouns are:Classification
The Marind languages were partially identified by Sidney Herbert Ray and JHP Murray in 1918; the family was filled out by JHMC Boelaars in 1950. It was incorporated into Trans–New Guinea by Stephen Wurm in 1975.
The Boazi languages were formerly classified as Marind.Evolution
reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea etyma:
- kase ‘saliva’ < pTNG *kasipa ‘spit’
- maŋgat ‘mouth’ < *maŋgat
- mudu-meŋ ‘belly’ < *mundu-maŋgV ‘heart’
- mokom ‘fruit, seed’ < *maŋgV
- saŋga ‘hand, finger, arm’ < *sal ‘hand, claw’
- sâ ‘sand’ < *saasiŋ
- de ‘tree’ < *inda
- iwar ‘wind’ < *kumbutu
- kuyu ‘cassowary’ < *kua
