Kwerbic language spoken in Indonesia
Isirawa is a Papuan language spoken by about two thousand people on the north coast of Papua province, Indonesia. It's a local trade language, and use is vigorous. Stephen Wurm (1975) linked it to the Kwerba languages within the Trans–New Guinea family, and it does share about 20% of its vocabulary with neighboring Kwerba languages. However, based on its pronouns, Malcolm Ross (2005) felt he could not substantiate such a link, and left it as a language isolate. The pronouns are not, however, dissimilar from those of Orya–Tor, which Ross links to Kwerba, and Donahue (2002) accept it as a Greater Kwerba language.
Locations
In Sarmi Regency, Isirawa is spoken in Amsira, Arabais, Arsania, Kamenawari, Mararena, Martewar, Nisero, Nuerawar, Perkami, Siaratesa, Waim, Wari, and Webro villages.[2]
Grammar
In Isirawa, the feminine gender is associated with big objects, and masculine with small objects; the opposite association is found in Tayap and the Sepik languages, which classify large objects as masculine rather than feminine.[3]
Pronouns
The Isirawa pronouns are,
I |
a-, e
|
we |
nen-, ne
|
you |
o-, mə
|
all third person |
e-, maə, ce, pe
|
Ross's reconstructed Orya–Tor pronouns are *ai 'I', *ne 'we' (inclusive), *emei 'thou', *em 'you'.
Isirawa pronoun paradigm as given in Foley (2018):[4]
pronoun |
nominative |
accusative |
possessive
|
1s |
e |
afo |
wə
|
2s |
mɪ |
ofo |
of
|
3s |
|
efo |
ef
|
1d |
ne |
nenfo |
nenef
|
2d |
mɪ |
ofnafo |
ofnaf
|
3d |
|
efnafo |
efnaf
|
1p |
ne |
nenfɪvo |
nenfɪ(v)
|
2p |
mɪ |
ofɪvo |
ofɪ(v)
|
3p |
|
efɪvo |
efɪ(v)
|