Telefol language
Encyclopedia
Telefol is a language spoken by the Telefol people
in Papua New Guinea
, notable for possessing a base-27 numeral system
.
Single and represent both their single and long vowels, since they rarely contrast.
/b/ is written
Single /k/ is written intervocalically, and /kk/ is written intervocalically.
/kd/ and /ŋd/ are written and (since they're pronounced [ɡ] and [ŋɡ] respectively).
Initial /ɡ/ (in loan words) is also written with, e.g. Got 'God'.
/ʔ/ and /h/ only appear in a few particles and some exclamations. /p/ and /ɡ/ only appear in a few loans.
There are two contrastive phonemic tones in Telefol, high and low. For example, ùlín 'club' vs. úlìn 'planted'.
/e/ and /eː/, /o/ and /oː/, are nearly in complementary distribution. Also, single /e/ and /o/ don't occur in one-syllable words or in terminal syllables.
Vowel length only contrasts in initial syllables. However, in initial syllables single /u/ and /o/, and /i/ and /e/, don't contrast.
/l/ does not occur word-initially.
/ŋ/ is allowed in medial, but not word-initial, onsets.
s (terms referring to the relationship two or more people have to each other), which are present in less than 10 languages and not prevalent in Papua New Guinea. However, they are a salient feature of the Ok languages. Related terms are found in Oksapmin
, Mian
, and Tifal
.
Telefol people
-History:Telefol history starts with the "Old Woman" traveling through the land that is now the Eliptaman valley. She, as told through their creation stories, founded the Telefolip, the most sacred of Yolam Houses or Haus Tambaran in the Star Mountains Region about 300 years ago...
in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, notable for possessing a base-27 numeral system
Numeral system
A numeral system is a writing system for expressing numbers, that is a mathematical notation for representing numbers of a given set, using graphemes or symbols in a consistent manner....
.
History
The Iligimin people also spoke Telefol, but they were defeated by the Telefol proper.Orthography
| Phonemic | ɑ | ɑɑ | e | ee | i | ii | o | oo | u | uu | b | d̪ | ɸ | k | kʷ | l | m | n̪ | ŋ | s̪ | t̪ | w | j |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowercase | a | aa | e | e | i | ii | o | o | u | ui | b, p | d, g | f | k, g | kw | l | m | n | ng | s | t | w | y |
| Uppercase | A | Aa | E | I | Ii | O | U | Uu | B | D | F | K | Kw | M | N | S | T | W | Y |
Single
/b/ is written
Single /k/ is written
/kd/ and /ŋd/ are written
Initial /ɡ/ (in loan words) is also written with
Consonants
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | (Glottal) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | (p) b | t̪ d̪ | k kʷ (ɡ) | (ʔ) | ||
| Nasal | m | n̪ | ŋ | |||
| Fricative | f | s̪ | (h) | |||
| Approximant | w | j | ||||
| Lateral | l |
/ʔ/ and /h/ only appear in a few particles and some exclamations. /p/ and /ɡ/ only appear in a few loans.
| Phoneme(s) | Condition | Allophone |
|---|---|---|
| /b/ | intervocalic | [b~β] |
| syllable-final | [pʰ] | |
| /k/ | intervocalic | [ɣ] |
| /l/ | intervocalic | [ɾ] |
| /kd/ | (everywhere) | [ɡ] |
| /ŋd/ | (everywhere) | [ŋɡ] |
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid | e eː | o oː | |
| Open | ɑ ɑː |
There are two contrastive phonemic tones in Telefol, high and low. For example, ùlín 'club' vs. úlìn 'planted'.
/e/ and /eː/, /o/ and /oː/, are nearly in complementary distribution. Also, single /e/ and /o/ don't occur in one-syllable words or in terminal syllables.
Vowel length only contrasts in initial syllables. However, in initial syllables single /u/ and /o/, and /i/ and /e/, don't contrast.
Phonotactics
Syllable structure is (C)V(ː)(C)./l/ does not occur word-initially.
/ŋ/ is allowed in medial, but not word-initial, onsets.
Verbal aspect
Telefol has a rich aspectual system. Telefol verbs have "punctiliar" (momentary/completed) and "continuative" stems.Counting system
Telefol uses a base-27 counting system. This is mapped onto the body by counting each of the following: the left pinky to the left thumb (1-5); the wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder (6-10); the side of the neck, ear, and left eye (11-13); the nose (14); and the right eye to the right pinky (15-27; as for 1-14 but mirrored and in reverse order).Kinship
Telefol has dyadic kinship termDyadic kinship term
Dyadic kinship terms are kinship terms in a few languages that express the relationship between individuals as they relate one to the other...
s (terms referring to the relationship two or more people have to each other), which are present in less than 10 languages and not prevalent in Papua New Guinea. However, they are a salient feature of the Ok languages. Related terms are found in Oksapmin
Oksapmin language
Oksapmin is a Trans–New Guinea language spoken in Telefomin District, Sandaun, Papua New Guinea. It has been influenced by the Ok languages , and the similarities with those languages were attributed to borrowing in the classifications of both Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross , where Oksapmin was...
, Mian
Mian language
Mian is an Ok language spoken in the Telefomin district of the Sandaun province in Papua New Guinea by the Mian people. It has some 3,500 speakers spread across two dialects: West Mian with approximately 1,000 speakers in around Yapsiei and East Mian with approximately 2,500 speakers in and around...
, and Tifal
Tifal language
-Geography:The Tifal language is bounded by Papuan and Irian Jaya speakers to the south and west, the Telefomin valley in the east, and the Sepik river to the north.-Orthography:-Consonants: and rarely contrast.-Phonotactics:...
.