Huli, Ipili, Duna, Etoro, Foe - Southern Highlands Eastern Melanesia Language Hotspot - Living Tongues Institute For Endangered Languages

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Living Tongues Southern Highlands Language Hotspot

Languages of
Madang Province (PNG)

Languages of
East Sepik

Languages of
Southern Highlands

Matukar (Panau)

Panim

Kamba Wagi Ne

Wamut (Nanubae)

Yimas (Karim)

Yokoim (Karawari)

Languages of Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea

The rugged Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea is home to a number of languages, but many are under threat from two sources, the large Huli language that is regionally dominant and the nationally dominant Tok Pisin language that serves as the main lingua franca of the country. Typically speaking highland populations are significantly larger than those found in lowland and coastal parts of Papua New Guinea.

Huli Language

Huli [hui] is one of the largest of the 800 or so languages spoken in Papua New Guinea with perhaps as many as 80,000 first language speakers. It is a member of the Engan family of the Trans-New Guinea phylum. This language is thriving in the area around Tari in Southern Highlands Province, though Tok Pisin is at least as commonly used in the Tari market. Joycelyn Teke and Thomas Nokondi are our primary Huli consultants.

Thomas Nokondi, Huli consultant, Ambua, South Highlands Province, PNG
Photo by Chris Rainier

Huli Language Sample Audio Files
ikiri ‘boy’		wandari ‘girl’
agali ‘man’		wali ‘woman’
hale ‘ear’		heya(n)ke ‘tongue’
gui ‘nose’		ji huli pi laro ‘I speak Huli’
ji huli pi na laka ‘I don’t speak Huli’		wari huli pi lara ‘woman speaks Huli’
akari huli pi manda napi ‘man doesn’t speak Huli’		akali lu hina nara ‘tall man is eating’
akali lu hina na ne ‘tall man isn’t eating’

Joycelyn Teke, Huli consultant, Ambua, South Highlands Province, PNG
Photo by Chris Rainier

Ipili Language

Ipili [ipi] is a threatened Engan language spoken in Southern Highlands and Enga Provinces, Papua New Guinea. During our survey of Papua New Guinea in July 2009 we met Koo Yandabagee and Sam Ako in Tari who offered us some word and sentences in their language Ipili. In addition to their native Ipili, both men also speak Huli, Tok Pisin as well as some English.

Koo Yandabagee, Ipili consultant
Photo by Chris Rainier

Ipili speakers Sam Ako and Koo Yandabagee work with Enduring Voices team in Tari as Huli consultant Thomas Nokondi looks on.
Photo by Joanie Nasher

Ipili Language Sample Audio Files
mindi ‘one’		labo ‘two’
tepo ‘three’		tugumindi ‘four’
jau ‘five’		waraɣa ‘six’
janadʒe ‘seven’		kirubadʒe ‘eight’
piri[g]dʒe ‘nine’		pajidʒe ‘ten’
madʒe ‘eleven’		aridʒe ‘twelve’
ledʒe ‘thirteen’		redʒe ‘thirteen’
ingadʒe ‘fourteen’		ambirene ‘fifteen’
ambialene ‘sixteen’		nabi mane ‘seventeen’
nabi bajene ‘eighteen’		nabi birini ‘nineteen’
nabi kirubana ‘twenty’		nabi jenana ‘twenty-one’
nabi waraɣane ‘twenty-two’		kwa ‘tree kangaroo’
eka ‘bird of paradise’		ijɛ ‘pig’
pejango ‘dog’		arene ‘ear’
ingane ‘nose’		hekene ‘tongue’
ana ‘moon’		[h]ari ‘sky’*
naj ‘sun’		ipa ‘water’
pomburene ‘black’		tumbuopene ‘red’
ake pene ‘white’		iwunanga ‘boy’
wananga ‘girl’		akari ‘man’
wanda ‘woman’		namba ipili pi rar^ɣawana ‘I speak Ipili’
namba ipili pi ranajuwana ‘I don’t speak Ipili’

Duna Language

Duna [duc] is a language of the Duna-Bogaya stock of the Trans-New Guinea phylum. It has a declining number of speakers as many shift to Huli and/or Tok Pisin. Badja is our primary consultant.

Duna Language Sample Audio Files
mindu ‘black’		qau ‘white skinned person’
nanekedə ‘boy’		imanə ‘girl’
emene ‘girl’		ano ‘man’
ima ‘woman’		konanə ‘ear’
kuni ‘head’		kuma ‘nose’
hegeri ‘tongue’		ege ‘moon’
hewa ‘sun’		ju ‘water’
tirja ‘thank you’		feo 'white'

Etoro Language

Etoro also known as Edolo is a Trans-New Guinea phylum language belonging to the Bosavi family. Etoro [etr] has approximately 1,500 to 2,000 speakers. Our Etoro consultant is Iso.

Etoro Language Sample Audio Files
jose ‘hello’		hawijo ‘goodbye’
neseke ‘Thank You’		haja ‘bird’
ugunõ ‘dog’		se~me ‘fish’
s’ukuwa ‘pig’		japui ‘black’
be~ʔij ‘red’		farei ‘white’
kene ‘cloud’		aʔupe ‘moon’
mmù ‘sky’		eso ‘sun’
ke~he~ ‘ear’		migani ‘nose’
eni ‘tongue’		manisa ‘boy’
tõnisa ‘girl’		tõrõ ‘man’
ne etoro atoʔo ‘I don’t speak Etoro’		na etoro atoʔ ‘I speak Etoro’
aju na tõro sedadej pimãro ‘I will see the tall man tomorrow’		aju na tõro sedadej mapi mãro ‘I won’t see the tall man tomorrow’
ti~je ejnowej ‘what is your name?’

Foe Language

Foe [foi], also known as Foi, is a Eastern Kutubuan language belonging to the Trans-New Guinea phylum. Foe is an endangered language with a dwindling number of speakers. Among the noteworthy features of Foe is a body-part counting system, here demonstrated by our consultant Ganebi Sebo

Foe consultant Ganebi Sebo watching a recording of himself
with David Harrison and Greg Anderson in Tari
Photo by Chris Rainier

Foe consultant Ganebi Sebo working with David Harrison and Greg Anderson in Tari
Photo by Chris Rainier

Foe Language Sample Audio Files
kaʔoni wesiʔaj ‘good morning’		juʔubije ‘goodbye’
kije ‘thank you’		buru ‘black’
tabura ‘red’		fabo ‘white’
gumaʔa ‘boy’		gubimaʔa ‘boy’
uʔkama ‘girl’		amena ‘man’
kã ‘woman’		nkã ‘woman’
turu fabo ‘cloudy sky’		he~ge ‘moon’
irijabo ‘sun’		ibu ‘water’
kija ‘ear’		sabe ‘nose’
ɛru ‘tongue’		kejsã ‘dog’
hai~ ‘dog’		nami ‘pig’
mɛnage ‘one’

Revitalization Workshop 2010 stories (FOE) (for Southern Highlands section)

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