Wipi
Gidra
Native toPapua New Guinea
Native speakers
(3,500 cited 1999)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3gdr
Glottologwipi1242

Wipi, also known as Gidra, Jibu or Oriomo,[2] is a Papuan language of New Guinea. It is a member of the Eastern Trans-Fly family, the other languages of this family being Gizrra, Meriam Mir and Bine. The family has influenced the neighbouring Kiwai language as well as Kalau Lagau Ya.

Distribution

Wipi is spoken in fourteen main villages, with the Wipim village as the centre. Wipi speakers occupy a broad swathe of inland territory in the eastern plains between the Fly River and the Torres Strait, specifically around the Oriomo River and Binaturi River.[3]

Phonology

Phonology of the Wipi language:[4][5]

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Plosive p b t d k ɡ
Implosive ɓ
Nasal m n ŋ
Rhotic ɾ
Fricative s ʝ
Lateral l
Approximant w

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i ɨ u
Mid e o
Low a

References

  1. ^ Wipi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Wipi language". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. ^ Evans, Nicholas (2018). "The languages of Southern New Guinea". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 641–774. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  4. ^ Anne Dondorp and Jae-Wook Shim. 2013 [1997]. Wipi Grammar Essentials. 128pp.
  5. ^ SIL; Shim, Jae-Wook (September 2000). "Wipi (Gidra, Oriomo, Jibu) Language [GDR] Daru – Western Province" (PDF). Organised Phonology Data.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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