View source for Social:Lakes Plain languages

{{short description|Papuan language family}}
{{Infobox language family
|name=Lakes Plain 
|region=Lakes Plains, New Guinea
|familycolor=Papuan
|family = one of the world's primary [[Social:Language family|language families]]
|glotto=lake1255
|glottorefname=Lakes Plain 
}}

The '''Lakes Plain languages''' are a [[Social:Language family|family]] of Papuan languages, spoken in the Lakes Plain of Indonesian New Guinea. They are notable for being heavily tonal and for their lack of nasal consonants.

==Classification==
The Lakes Plain languages were tentatively grouped by Stephen Wurm with the Tor languages in his [[Social:Trans–New Guinea languages|Trans–New Guinea]] proposal. Clouse (1997) rejected this connection to the Tor languages and grouped them with the Geelvink Bay languages. Malcolm Ross classifies the languages as an independent family, a position confirmed by Timothy Usher.

Because of the apparent phonological similarities and sharing of stable basic words such as ‘louse’, William A. Foley speculates the potential likelihood of a distant relationship shared between the [[Social:Skou languages|Skou]] and Lakes Plain families, but no formal proposals linking the two families have been made due to insufficient evidence.<ref name="Foley-NWNG"/> Additionally according to Foley, based on some lexical and phonological similarities, the Keuw language (currently unclassified) may also possibly share a deep relationship with the Lakes Plain languages.

Like the [[Social:East Geelvink Bay languages|East Cenderawasih Bay]], Trans-New Guinea, and [[Social:South Bougainville languages|South Bougainville]] language families, Lakes Plain languages have ergative case marking systems. In contrast, most languages of northern Papua New Guinea have accusative case marking systems.<ref name="Foley-Typology">{{cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The morphosyntactic typology of Papuan languages |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=895–938 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}</ref>

===Clouse (1997)===
Clouse (1997, p.&nbsp;155) internally classifies the Lakes Plain family as:<ref name="Clouse-LakesPlain">{{cite book | last = Clouse | first = Duane A. | year = 1997 | chapter = Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya | title = Papers in Papuan linguistics no. 2 | location = Canberra | publisher = Pacific Linguistics | volume = A-85 | isbn = 0858834421 | editor = Karl Franklin | pages = 133&ndash;236 | url = https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/145737/1/PL-A85.pdf }}</ref>

{{tree list}}
*'''Lakes Plain superstock'''
**'''Rasawa''' stock
***Rasawa-Saponi family: Rasawa, [[Social:Saponi language|Saponi]]
***Awera
**'''Tariku''' stock
***'''Tause''' family: Tause, Weirate, Deirate
***'''West Tariku''' family
****Fayu: Fayu, Sehudate
****Kirikiri: Kirikiri, Faia
***'''Central Tariku''' family
****Edopi
****Turu: Iau, Foi, Turu
***'''East Tariku''' family: Doutai, Waritai, Kai, Biritai, Obokuitai, Eritai, Sikaritai, Kwerisa, Papasena
***'''Duvle'''
***'''East Lakes Plain''' family: Foau (Abawiri), Taworta, Dabra
{{tree list/end}}

Clouse concludes that the [[Social:East Geelvink Bay languages|East Geelvink Bay languages]] are the most closely related to the Lakes Plain languages, forming a wider ''Geelvink Bay phylum'' with it.<ref name="Clouse-LakesPlain"/>

===Usher (2018)===
The Lakes Plain languages as classified by Usher are as follows:<ref>[https://sites.google.com/site/newguineaworld/families/lakes-plains New Guinea World - Lakes Plains]</ref>

{{clade
|label1=Lakes&nbsp;Plains&nbsp;
|1={{clade
 |label1=&nbsp;Wapoga River&nbsp;
 |1={{clade
 |1=Awera
 |2=Kehu (Keuw)
 |3=Rombak River: Rasawa, [[Social:Saponi language|Saponi]]
 }}
 |label2=West
 |2={{clade
 |1=Tause
 |label2=&nbsp;Tariku River&nbsp;
 |2={{clade
  |1=Edopi–Iau–Foi–Turu [a dialect cluster]
  |2=Fayu
  |3=Kirikiri
  }}
 }}
 |label3=Central
 |3=Sikaritai, Eritai, Papasena
 |label4=Duvle–East
 |4={{clade
 |1=Duvle
 |2=East Lakes Plain: Foau (Abawiri), Taworta (Diebroud)
 }}
 }}
}}

Not included in the above classification, Kaiy, Kwerisa, Doutai and Waritai are presumably also Central Lakes Plain; the same for Obokuitai and Biritai. Clouse had placed them closest to Papasena and to Eritai, respectively, and they might form dialect clusters with those languages.

There are particular questions about the inclusion of Saponi, Kehu and Tause.

==Pronouns==
The pronouns Ross reconstructs for proto-Tariku are,

:{| class=wikitable
|-
| '''I''' || ''*a/*i'' || '''we''' || ''*a/*ai''
|-
| '''thou''' || ''*de'' || '''you''' || ''*da''
|-
| '''s/he''' || ''*au'' || '''they''' || ?
|}

The corresponding "I" and "thou" pronouns are proto–East Lake Plain ''*a, *do,'' Awera ''yai, nai'' (the latter from ''*dai;'' compare also ''e'' "we"), and Rasawa ''e-, de-.'' Saponi shares no pronouns with the Lakes Plain family; indeed its pronouns ''mamire'' "I, we" and ''ba'' "thou" are remenincent of [[Social:East Bird's Head – Sentani languages|proto–East Bird's Head]] ''*meme'' "we" and ''*ba'' "thou". However, Saponi shares half its basic lexical vocabulary with Rasawa, and Ross left it in the Lakes Plain family pending further investigation. The Tause language was also previously grouped amongst the Tariku group of Lakes Plain languages. Ross transferred it to the [[Social:East Bird's Head – Sentani languages|East Bird's Head – Sentani languages]] on the basis of pronoun similarities in hopes that this would promote further research.

Below are pronouns in selected Lakes Plain languages as given by Foley (2018):<ref name="Foley-NWNG"/>

:{| {{table}}
! !! Awera !! Kirikiri !! Iau !! Duvle !! Obokuitai !! Diebroud
|+ Lakes Plain pronouns
|-
! 1s
| yai || a || a || æ || i || aː
|-
! 2s
| dai || de || di || do || di || daː
|-
! 1p
| e || e || e || a || ai || iː
|}

==Phonology==
Lakes Plain languages have remarkably small phonemic inventories, rivaling even those of Polynesian languages.

===Consonants===
Clouse and Clouse (1993) note many of the Lakes Plain languages share several unusual phonological features. While Papuan languages typically have at least two nasal phonemes, this is not the case for Lakes Plain languages. Although phonetic nasals do exist in most Lakes Plain languages, they do not contrast with the corresponding voiced stops. Doutai, Sikaritai, Obokuitai and Abawiri (Foau) lack even phonetic nasals. Additionally, no Lakes Plain language has a liquid phoneme. Clouse (1997) reconstructs a typologically remarkable consonant inventory for the ancestor of Lakes Plain, consisting entirely of only five stops:

{| class="wikitable"
! 
!Labial
!Alveolar
!Velar
|-align="center"
! Voiceless Stop
| *p 
| *t
| *k
|-align="center"
!Voiced Stop
| *b
| *d
|
|}

This results in Lakes Plain languages having high functional load, meaning that there are many words with small distinctions in sounds.

===Vowels===
Many of the languages have very high constricted (fricativised) vowels; in Doutai and Kirikiri these constitute separate phonemes from /i/ and /u/. The fricativised vowels seem to have developed from deletion of a following consonant.

Clouse (1997) reconstructs a five-vowel system for proto-Lakes Plain, not unlike Japanese or Spanish:

{| class="wikitable"
!
! Front
! Back
|-align="center"
! High
| *i 
| *u
|-align="center"
! Mid
| *e
| *o
|-align="center"
! Low
| *a
|
|}

===Tone===
Lakes Plain languages are all tonal. (The [[Social:Skou languages|Skou languages]] and Kainantu-Goroka languages are other Papuan languages possessing contrastive [[Social:Tone (linguistics)|tone]].) Clouse and Clouse (1993) reconstruct tone (high level "H" and low level "L") in proto-Lakes Plain.<ref name="Foley-NWNG"/>

Duvle and Sikaritai have only two tones, high and low, but all other Lakes Plain languages have more than two tones. All West Tariku languages have both rising and falling tones.<ref name="Clouse-LakesPlain"/> Abawiri (Foau) has phonological high and low tones as well as a derived mid tone.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yoder |first=Brendon |date=2018 |title=The Abawiri tone system in typological perspective |url=https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.2018.0067 |journal=Language (Phonological Analysis) |volume=94 |issue=4 |pages=e266–e292 |doi=10.1353/lan.2018.0067 |s2cid=150242777 |via=Project MUSE|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Iau is the most tonally complex Lakes Plain language. Unlike other Lakes Plain languages which can be disyllabic or trisyllabic, Iau word structure is predominantly monosyllabic. Iau has eight phonemic tones, transcribed by Bateman using numerical Chao tones (usually used with East Asian languages): high (44), mid (33), high-rising (45), low-rising (23), high-to-low-falling (42), high-to-mid-falling (43), mid-to-low-falling (32), and falling-rising (423).<ref name="Foley-NWNG"/> Four of the eight Iau tones occur on short vowels, while the remaining four occur on long vowels and often correspond to disyllabic words in other Lakes Plain languages.<ref name="Clouse-LakesPlain"/> (See Iau language#Tone.)

==Morphology==
Unlike most Papuan languages to the east, words in Lakes Plain languages do not have gender. Bauzi, an East Geelvink Bay language spoken to the northwest of the Lakes Plain family, also does not have gender.<ref name="Foley-NWNG">{{cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The languages of Northwest New Guinea |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=433–568 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}</ref> Most Lakes Plain languages are primarily analytic and isolating, with little morphology. However, there is some variation in the family. Iau is almost exclusively analytic and isolating,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bateman |first=Janet |date=1986 |title=Iau verb morphology |journal=NUSA |volume=26 |pages=1–76}}</ref> while Abawiri has extensive verbal morphology.<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=A grammar of Abawiri, a Lakes Plain language of Papua, Indonesia |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4mj571tr |publisher=University of California Santa Barbara |date=2020 |language=en |first=Brendon |last=Yoder |degree=PhD}}</ref>

==Basic vocabulary==
Basic vocabulary of the Lakes Plain languages (Rasawa, Kirikiri, Iau, Duvle, Obokuitai, Diebroud) listed in Foley (2018):<ref name="Foley-NWNG"/>

:{| {{table}}
|+ Lakes Plain basic vocabulary
! gloss !! Rasawa !! Kirikiri !! Iau !! Duvle !! Obokuitai !! Diebroud
|-
| ‘bird’ || beβo || du || dusi || fura || du || duː
|-
| ‘blood’ || uːyo || klu || oe || sæire || saig || ai die
|-
| ‘bone’ || weβi || kiʼ || iʼ || kæ-ri-a || -baig || butːu
|-
| ‘breast’ || tu || tu || tui || do || toub || tow
|-
| ‘ear’ || u-ra || ke || e || ovei || -kwei || ebre
|-
| ‘eat’ || ki-βaβo || sa || sa || dɪa || da- || beya
|-
| ‘egg’ || uβa || dute || bi || ævisa || ako || ko
|-
| ‘eye || ɔra || kla || ɸæ || gari || -u || ruːg
|-
| ‘fire’ || tayo || kwɛ || be || bo || kwɛ || do
|-
| ‘give’ || paro || tu || baɛ || bou || behig || bei
|-
| ‘go’ || uɣuβe || kia || i || da/dou || do- || dug
|-
| ‘ground’ || gi || ɸla || a || pɪa || hra || faː
|-
| ‘hair’ || u-kha || ta-kruʼ || iʼ-su || tæri || hoig || teri
|-
| ‘hear’ || puaβo || beika || bi-bae || bou/bæiɪ || kwɛri || atega
|-
| ‘leg’ || u-ru || ɸa || tai || fria || -hig || aigwa
|-
| ‘louse’ || piye || ɸli || i(bo) || pri || hri || fi(god)
|-
| ‘man’ || duβu || te || te || oirɛ || ta || gutːi
|-
| ‘moon’ || bariya || tɔ || baiʼdaki || vrisa || so || fere
|-
| ‘name’ || uβa || kwa || ɔsu || oiɛ || asukwa || faya
|-
| ‘one’ || kri-βi || suo-we || bisi-be || soɣo-ɛ || kore-kekaig || kwaka
|-
| ‘path, road’ || we || kwari || bɛ || ioɣoia || kuɛi || eigre
|-
| ‘see’ || paβo || ɸua/ɸori || dɔɛ || fei/fou || badub || fǝkta
|-
| ‘stone’ || pa || ɸai || ɸeki || pæxi || kwig || gwid
|-
| ‘sun’ || kuri || tɔ || baiʼ || væir || so || gwadi
|-
| ‘tongue’ || isɔːkɔ || abla || ae || zæri || -rija || iri
|-
| ‘tooth’ || ɔ || uri || biʼ || æbidi || -brig || adːi
|-
| ‘tree’ || ukui || du || u || ura || kub || gru
|-
| ‘two’ || wɔri || ɔro-we || bɔ || tɛʔɛ || tio || tai
|-
| ‘water’ || de(ye) || da || e || dæ/dɛ || -rig || dye
|-
| ‘woman’ || kuru || ko || si || oruæi || tub || ro
|}

==Proto-language==<!---Proto-Lakes Plain redirects here--->
{{Infobox proto-language
| name       = Proto-Lakes Plain 
| familycolor   = Papuan
| ancestor     = 
| child1 = 
| target     = Lakes Plain languages
}}
Clouse (1997) reconstructs basic vocabulary for proto-Lakes Plain and other lower branches.<ref name="Clouse-LakesPlain"/>

;Lakes Plain reconstructions by Clouse (1997)

:{| class="wikitable sortable"
! gloss !! proto-Lakes Plain !! proto-Far West Lakes Plain !! proto-Tariku !! proto-West Tariku !! proto-Central Tariku !! proto-East Tariku
|-
| neck || *kukro || *roko || *kokro || *kokrV || || *kro
|-
| mouth || *kukadi/u || *koru || *kuari || *kuari || *ba || *kua
|-
| tooth || *bri || *biri || *bri || *bri || *biri || *bri
|-
| eye || *kudatiCV || *ura || *kurati || *kurati || || *kuratiC
|-
| nose || || *boru || *boru || || || *boru
|-
| hair/fur || *kru/i || || *kru/i || *kru || || *kru/i
|-
| fingernail || *pV || *bV || *pV || *ɸV || *ɸo || *pe
|-
| skin || *ɸidi || *bi || *ɸiri || *ɸire || *iri || *bari
|-
| meat || *tV || *tV || *tV || *tV || *ta || *tV
|-
| bone || || *be || *kai || *kai || *i || *ai
|-
| breast || *touCV || *tou || *touC || *tou^ || *touC || *touC
|-
| stomach || *kuria || *wia || *kuria || *kuri || || *kuia
|-
| leg || || *tu || *Ca || *Ca || *ta || *a
|-
| foot || || || *to || *to || || *to
|-
| water || *deida || *deire || *dida || *dida || *ida || *wadi
|-
| fire || *kudaide || *tairo || *kure || *kue || *be || *kure
|-
| adjectival suffix || *-we/-die || *-we/-de || *-we/-die || *-we || *-be || *-die
|-
| stone || *kuipade || *pare || *kuiɸae || *kuiɸae || *kuiɸa || *kuip
|-
| one || || *kri || *keiki || || || *keiki
|-
| three || *didi || *dri || *Cidi || *Cido || || *tidi
|-
| land || *pra/i || *pri || *pra || *ɸra || || *pra
|-
| path || *kuadi || *arV || *kuari || *kuari || *ba || *kuai
|-
| wide || || *wara || || || || 
|-
| rain || *kurire || *kuie || *kuri || *kuri || *bi || 
|-
| dull || *baCu || *paupe || *baCu || *baCu || *ba || 
|-
| sun || *tio || || *tio || *tio || *so || *so
|-
| moon || || *bari || || || || 
|-
| banana || *kriCV || *kiri || *kriC || *kri^ || *kiri || *kriC
|-
| tree || *kuCV || *ku || *kuC || *u || *u || *kuC
|-
| split || || *pekeka || || || || 
|-
| thorn || *kude || *pore || *kure || *kure || *be || *kure
|-
| seed || || *weto || || *kaba || *ɸe || *aCi
|-
| black || *kVCa || *kuara || *kVC || *kaCa || || *kiC
|-
| bird || *du || || *du || *du || *du || *du
|-
| wing || *auCo || *uko || *auCu || *auro || *apu || *akau
|-
| cassowary || *diadi || *kiri || *diari || *diari || *diari || 
|-
| a fly || *kubadi || *poiti || *kubari || *kuari || *bari || *kuari
|-
| mosquito || *tide || *tre || *tire || *tire || *tire || *tire
|-
| dog || *tabi || *kaCo || *tabi || *tiabi || *dabi || *dabi
|-
| tail || *tiCa || || *tiCa || *tiCa || *tia || *tiC
|-
| fish || *tie || *te || *tie || *tie || || *te
|-
| leech || *kibV || *kiba || *kibi || *ki || *ki || *kibi
|-
| louse || *pri || *piri || *pri || *ɸri || || *pri
|-
| long || || *pobi || *kure || *kure || *be || *kuri
|-
| house || *kuadV || *aru || *kuarV || *kua || *urV || *kuari
|-
| near || *paipai || *paia || *aiɸai || || || *aiɸai
|-
| person || *tau || *du || *tai || *te || *te || *tai
|-
| bad || || *kaibe || *ɸVra || *ɸe || || *ɸura
|-
| child || *tau-bri || *tu-ri || *tau-bri || *tau-bri || *tau- || *tau-bi
|-
| 2SG || *de || *de || *de || *de || *di || *de
|-
| 1PL || *ai || *e || *ai || *ai || *e || *ai
|-
| 3SG || || *kibV || || *be || *o || *de
|-
| go/walk || *kidia || *dao || *kidia || *kidia || *dia || 
|-
| hear-STAT || *kuedi-kuda || *beri-kura || *kueri-kua || *beri-kua || *beri-wa || *kueri-kua
|-
| search || || *paka || || || || 
|-
| suck || *tau || *tu || *tau || *taua || || *betu
|-
| vomit || *kadudu || *aru || *karudu || *ku || *u || *krudu
|-
| scrape || *kiCi || *kibie || *kiri || *kiri || *iri || *bekiri
|-
| sit || *ɸuɸu || *kua || *ɸuɸu || *ɸoko || *bau || *buhu
|-
| stand || *dia-dau || *tarau || *dia-da || *dia-da || || 
|-
| grab || *tiadado || *suarau || *araro || *araro || *da || *do
|-
| blow || *pudV || *purV || *purV || *ɸura || *ɸoi || *bu-ɸuru
|-
| cough || *takadV || *takari || *takurV || *takuro || *taurai || *takura
|-
| firewood || *bodi || || *bori || *bo || *bori || 
|-
| feces || *pade || || *pare || *ɸa || *ɸa || *pare
|-
| urine || *tiCi || || *tiCi || *ti^ || *tii || *tiCi
|-
| penis || *tiuCV || || *tiuC || *tiu^ || *tiu || *tuC
|-
| scrotum || *kudiCV || || *kuriC || *kui^ || || *kuiC
|-
| chin || *kuaukadi || || *kuaukari || *kuaukai || *baukai || *kuaukari
|-
| ant || *keCV || || *keC || *ke || *e || *kiC
|-
| arrow || *poka || || *poka || *ɸoka || *ɸoka || *poka
|}

==See also==
*List of districts of Papua for a list of districts and villages with respective languages

==Further reading==
*[http://transnewguinea.org/language/proto-lakes-plain Proto-Lakes-Plain]. ''TransNewGuinea.org''. From (1) Clouse, D.A. 1997. Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya. In Franklin, K. (ed). Papers in Papuan Linguistics No. 2. Pacific Linguistics: Canberra. ; (2) Clouse, D.A. 1993. Languages of the Western Lakes Plain. Irian, 21, 1–32.
*[http://transnewguinea.org/language/proto-far-west Proto-Far West Lakes Plain]. ''TransNewGuinea.org''. From (1) Clouse, D.A. 1997. Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya. In Franklin, K. (ed). Papers in Papuan Linguistics No. 2. Pacific Linguistics: Canberra. ; (2) Clouse, D.A. 1993. Languages of the Western Lakes Plain. Irian, 21, 1–32.
*[http://transnewguinea.org/language/proto-tariku Proto-Tariku]. ''TransNewGuinea.org''. From (1) Clouse, D.A. 1997. Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya. In Franklin, K. (ed). Papers in Papuan Linguistics No. 2. Pacific Linguistics: Canberra. ; (2) Clouse, D.A. 1993. Languages of the Western Lakes Plain. Irian, 21, 1–32.
*[http://transnewguinea.org/language/proto-west-tariku Proto-West-Tariku]. ''TransNewGuinea.org''. From (1) Clouse, D.A. 1997. Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya. In Franklin, K. (ed). Papers in Papuan Linguistics No. 2. Pacific Linguistics: Canberra. ; (2) Clouse, D.A. 1993. Languages of the Western Lakes Plain. Irian, 21, 1–32.
*[http://transnewguinea.org/language/proto-central-tariku Proto-Central-Tariku]. ''TransNewGuinea.org''. From (1) Clouse, D.A. 1997. Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya. In Franklin, K. (ed). Papers in Papuan Linguistics No. 2. Pacific Linguistics: Canberra. ; (2) Clouse, D.A. 1993. Languages of the Western Lakes Plain. Irian, 21, 1–32.
*[http://transnewguinea.org/language/proto-east-tariku Proto-East-Tariku]. ''TransNewGuinea.org''. From (1) Clouse, D.A. 1997. Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya. In Franklin, K. (ed). Papers in Papuan Linguistics No. 2. Pacific Linguistics: Canberra. ; (2) Clouse, D.A. 1993. Languages of the Western Lakes Plain. Irian, 21, 1–32.

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite journal | last = Clouse | first = Duane A. | year = 1997 | title = Towards a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya | editor = Karl Franklin| journal = Papers in New Guinea Linguistics | volume = 2 | pages = 133–236 | issn = 0078-9135 | oclc = 2729642 }}
* {{cite journal | last = Clouse | first = Heljä |author2=Duane A. Clouse | year = 1993 | title = Kirikiri and the western Lakes Plain languages: selected phonological phenomena | journal = Language and Linguistics in Melanesia | volume = 24 | pages = 1–18 | oclc = 9188672 }}
{{Malcolm Ross Pronouns}}
* {{cite book | last = Silzer | first = Peter |author2=Heljä Heikkinen | year = 1991 | title = Index of Irian Jaya languages | edition = Second | location = Jayapura | publisher = University Cenderawasih and Summer Institute of Linguistics | oclc = 26368341 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[http://transnewguinea.org/family/lakesplain Lakes Plain languages database at TransNewGuinea.org]

{{language families}}

[[Category:Language families]]

{{Sourceattribution|Lakes Plain languages}}