Rai Coast languages
Encyclopedia
The Rai Coast languages are a family
of languages in the Madang
branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) phylum of New Guinea.
Sidney Herbert Ray
identified what was then known of the Rai Coast languages as a unit in 1919. They were linked with the Mabuso languages in 1951 by Arthur Capell
in his Madang family. Though the validity of Rai Coast is well established, there are ongoing adjustments to membership and internal classification. Malcolm Ross
added two languages to Rai Coast, Tauya
and Biyom, from the small erstwhile Brahman
branch of Madang. He classifies the Kalam languages
as the closest relatives of Rai Coast, and suggests that they may actually be an additional branch of the family.
Ethnologue
(2009) gives a very different subclassification, with only the Mindjim and Yaganon branches being similar, and Sub-Rai being abandoned.
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
of languages in the Madang
Madang languages
The Madang or Madang–Adelbert Range languages are the largest family of Trans–New Guinea languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross. William Foley concurs that it is "highly likely" that the Madang languages are part of TNG. The family is named after Madang Province and the Adelbert...
branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) phylum of New Guinea.
Sidney Herbert Ray
Sidney Herbert Ray
Sidney Herbert Ray was a comparative and descriptive linguist who specialized in Melanesian languages. In 1892, he read an important paper, The languages of British New Guinea, to the Ninth International Congress of Orientalists. In that paper, he established the distinction between the...
identified what was then known of the Rai Coast languages as a unit in 1919. They were linked with the Mabuso languages in 1951 by Arthur Capell
Arthur Capell
Arthur Capell was an Australian linguist, who made major contributions to the study of Australian languages, Austronesian languages and Papuan languages.-Life:...
in his Madang family. Though the validity of Rai Coast is well established, there are ongoing adjustments to membership and internal classification. Malcolm Ross
Malcolm Ross
Malcolm David Ross is a linguist and professor at the Australian National University. He has published work on Austronesian and Papuan languages, historical linguistics, and language contact.-External links:**...
added two languages to Rai Coast, Tauya
Tauya language
Tauya is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea by approximately 350 people....
and Biyom, from the small erstwhile Brahman
Brahman languages
Brahman is an old proposed language family of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea that consisted of 4 languages: Biyom, Faita, Isabi, Tauya.-Genetic relations:...
branch of Madang. He classifies the Kalam languages
Kalam languages
The Kalam languages are a small family of languages in the Madang branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages phylum of New Guinea.The languages are:They are famous for having perhaps the smallest numbers of lexical verbs of any languages in the world, with somewhere in the range of 100 to 120 verbs...
as the closest relatives of Rai Coast, and suggests that they may actually be an additional branch of the family.
- Rai Coast family
- Mindjim branch: AnjamAnjam languageAnjam or Bom is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.Other names are Bogadjim, Bogajim, Bogati, Lalok....
(Bom), Bongu, Male, Pulabu, Sam (Songum) - Yaganon branch: Ganglau, SaepSaep languageSaep is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
, Yabong - Kow–Usino: Asas, Sinsauru, SopSop languageSop is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea by approximately 2,500 people.The Sop language has been labelled under several different names. Among the names are Usino, Usina, Sopu, and Igoi. The Ethnologue uses the name Sop for this language. Its Ethnologue code is URW...
(Usino) - Erima–Duduela: Duduela (Uyajitaya), Ogea (Erima)
- JilimJilim languageJilim is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
- WasemboWasembo languageWasembo, also known as Biapim, Gusap, Yankowan, is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
- Sub-Rai branch: Biyom, TauyaTauya languageTauya is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea by approximately 350 people....
; Arawum, Kolom (Migum), Lemio, SiroiSiroi languageSiroi is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, and a local trade language....
; Danaru, SumauSumau languageSumau, also known as Garia , is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
, Urigina; Dumpu, Kesawai, SausiSausi languageSausi is a Rai Coast language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.Sausi also goes by the name Uya, an alternative name of Usu as well....
; Kwato, Rerau, Uya (Usu), Yangulam
- Mindjim branch: Anjam
Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
(2009) gives a very different subclassification, with only the Mindjim and Yaganon branches being similar, and Sub-Rai being abandoned.