Wamut, Yokoim and Yakwaim Karawari - East Sepik Eastern Melanesia Language Hotspot - Living Tongues Institute For Endangered Languages

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Living Tongues East Sepik Languages

Languages of
Madang Province (PNG)

Languages of
East Sepik

Languages of
Southern Highlands

Matukar (Panau)

Panim

Kamba Wagi Ne

Wamut (Nanubae)

Yokoim (Karawari)

Wamut (Nanubae) Language

The Wamut [afk] language of the Suhpuhn (sɨpɨn) people of Wambrumas village in the Karawari river region of East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea is also known as Nanubae in the extant linguistic literature. It has approximately 200 speakers in this village out of a total of somewhere between 800-1,000. Tok Pisin is replacing Wamut among members of the younger generations of the community in Wambrumas village. Wamut is one of only three languages belonging to the obscure Arafundi phylum. Our main consultants are James Sangai and Ivino Sabakui.

Wamut Language Sample Audio Files
edʒimeja ‘black’		pauwija ‘red’
kandɨkeja ‘white’		bunuk ‘boy’
nambrej ‘girl’		ajmbat tambuje ‘man’
ajmbwa 'man'		na:m ‘woman’
sɨpɨn ‘name of people’		marɨgman 'hello'
emba:m ‘Thank you’		ndæ ʔa:nis 'goodbye'
kɨntapam ‘one’		kwɨntapam ‘one’
kɨntamuɲ ‘two’		kajkɨntapam ‘five’
makandra ‘five+’		kɨmajn ‘six+’
kamaŋ ‘crocodile’		tam ‘dog’
jaj ‘pig’		kunduk ‘ear’
pokok ‘nose’		tarɨmajk ‘tongue’
jɨm ‘water’		tum ‘sun’
mue ‘betel nut’		wɨjumbwɨja ‘clouds’
maŋga ‘breadfruit nut’		tɨpa ‘moon’

Yokoim (Karawari) Language

Yokoim, also known as Karawari and Tabriak [tzx], is one of two ethnolinguistically distinct varieties of a language of the Lower Sepik family of the Ramu-Lower Sepik phylum. It is spoken in three villages, Kundiman, Manjamai and Konmei in the Karawari river region of East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. The 800 or so Yokoim-speaking Karawari claim not to be able to understand the 1,200-strong ethnolinguistically distinct upriver Yakwaim Karawari, who occupy six or seven hamlets or villages centered around Ambonwari. The reverse is not maintained by the Ambonwari Yakwaim, who claim that the Yokoim variety is easily understandable. Although linguistically quite similar, the Yakwaim are considered to be a distinct tribe by the Yokoim called Sungat or Chungat.

Yokoim has a complex noun class system that is partly phonological (sound-based) and partly semantic in nature. The verbs of Yokoim show complicated subject+object agreement patterns and an elaborate system of aspectual and modal verb forms. Our main Yokoim consultants include Nick Waikay and Ben Koni of Konmei, Louis Kolisi and Felix Andi of Kundiman, and Chris Nick and Augus Kaien of Manjamai. Our main Yakwaim consultant is Julius Sungulmari.

Nick Waikay, Konmei village, Yokoim consultant
Photo by David Harrison

Nick Waikay in tourist garb, Konmei village, Yokoim consultant
working with Greg Anderson
Photo by Chris Rainier

Yokoim (Karawari) Language Sample Audio Files
jakasikin black’		aujakɨn ‘red’
japakɨn ‘white’		uldumburiɲdʒaŋ ‘all black (pig)’

There is considerable variation in form and/or pronunciation of even basic vocabulary items across the various Yokoim-speaking villages. Typically one finds variation between s ~ tʃ, l ~ r and p ~ v, and ɨ ~ u:

kambukumbi ‘clouds’		sumbun ‘cloud’
maum ‘sky’		kambakɨmbi ‘sky’
tʃimari ‘sun’		simali ‘sun’
simarij ‘sun’		jɨp ‘coconut tree’
{o}wulaŋ ‘coconut’		malej ‘water’
marej ‘water’		malaj ‘water’
suŋgwi ‘moon’

There is some instability in the numeral system of Yokoim as the forms get replaced with Tok Pisin numerals. 'one' and 'two' and 'six' amd 'seven' (which contain 'one' and 'two', respectively) are genernally consistent with only pronounciation variants, but 'three' and 'four' are confused by some speakers as well as 'eight' and 'nine' (which contain 'three' and 'four', respectively), while both 'five' and 'ten' have multiple variants.

baŋ ‘one’		bæɲ ‘one’
kribaj ‘two’		klivaj ‘two’
samən ‘three’		sæmɛn ‘four’
sɛmɛn ‘four’		suam ‘five’
swam ‘five’		jaŋridʒumbri ‘five’
mongolbæŋ ‘six’		mongol klibaj ‘seven’
mongol klipaj ‘seven’		mongol kliamaʔ ‘eight’
mongol kriamaʔ ‘eight’		mongol tʃæmɪn ‘eight’
mongol tʃuam ‘nine’		mongol sæmɛn ‘nine’
mongol swam ‘ten’		suam bunija ‘ten’
mongol tʃuam ‘ten’		jaŋridʒumbri kribaj ‘ten’

The words for 'girl' and 'woman' contain the feminine singular suffix –ma/-me. Note that one variant of the Yokoim word for 'woman' is a singulative form derived from the collective plural form meaning 'women'.

wasakaŋ ‘boy child’		sanginma ‘girl’
jeramasinat ‘man’		jermasinmaʔ ‘woman’
[h]akunme ‘woman’		akuʔn ‘women'
manbaʔ ‘crocodile’		wija ‘dog’
wijəs ‘dogs’		kawi ‘snakehead gobi’
jamgun ‘mosquito’		jamgunmɛri ‘mosquitoes’
sakurij ‘catfish’		samut 'slippy gobifish'
kumbut ‘flying fox’		kumbɨjma ‘female flying fox’
jəpən ‘Thank You’		jɛpæn ‘Thank you’
jubamba ‘they are going’ ‘Goodbye’		[m]baʔ ‘Goodbye’
aʔj ‘hello’

Yokoim has an extensive vocabulary relating to the processing of sago palms–the staple of the Yokoim diet, as well as fishing technology-their other primary economic pursuit.

sipi ‘sago pancake’		tʃivi ‘sago pancake’
tʃivi ‘sago pancake’		wombun ‘sago flour’
kalɨs ‘sago pudding’		tʃikɨs ‘sago pulp’
jɨmbij ‘sago pulp basket’		jimbɨj ‘sago pulp straining basket’
kaj ‘canoe’		qaj ‘canoe’
kavaŋ ‘fish spear’		kabaŋ ‘fish spear’
tʃarukrɨj ‘arrow’		kaundaŋ ‘small fish basket’
tʃɨmbaŋ ‘fish scoop basket’		jamak ‘fish basket’
ivən ‘nose’		jipɨn ‘nose’
jelapakɨm ‘ear’		jeləpakɨs ‘ears’
mæmɨŋɨɲ ‘tongue’

Louis Kolisi, Yokoim consultant with his guitar, Karawari, East Sepik Province, PNG
Photo by Chris Rainier

Yokoim consultant Felix Andi working with Greg Anderson and David Harrison, Karawari, East Sepik Province, PNG. Photo by Chris Rainier

Yakwaim (Karawari) Language Sample Audio Files
sangwakɨr ‘Goodbye’		japakupan ‘hello’
manbo ‘crocodile’		wija ‘dog’
wijas ‘dogs’		jimbian ‘pig’
jimbias ‘pigs’		kondɨkas ‘ear’ –s?
jipɨn ‘nose’		mɨmɨɲɨŋ ‘tongue’
panmari 'man'		akunma 'woman'
panmari ‘man’/’boy’		sungwɨj ‘moon’
sɨmari ‘sun’		maraj ‘water’
wɨraŋ ‘coconut fruit’		jip ‘coconut palm’
sum ‘cloud(s)’		kondɨŋ ‘sago flour’
sɨpi ‘sago pancake’		karɨs ‘sago pudding’
jɨwkum ‘sago pulp basket’		kaj ‘canoe’
kar ‘canoes’		mbaŋ ‘one’
kripaj ‘two’		krianmao ‘three’
samɨnum ‘four’		suam ‘five’
sambajmbjam ‘six’		sambakrɨpaj ‘seven’
sambakrianmao ‘eight’		sambaosanɨm ‘nine’
sumbrij ‘ten’

Yimas (Karim) Language

Karim is the name of the tribe and the language [yee] spoken by the elder generations in Yimas-1 and Yimas-2 villages in the Karawari river region of East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. The language is known as Yimas in the linguistic literature and has been well studied by William Foley. Yimas 2 village is within sight of the Yokoim Karawari village Kundiman and the children from both villages attend the same school, a situation that parents from both communities consider to be one of the primary reasons that both languages are giving way to Tok Pisin. Though they are similar in several ways as related sister languages within the Ramu-Lower Sepik phylum, Karim and Yokoim are not mutually intelligible. Paul Abi, Steven Mambi Yakaitapan and Ambrose Otto served as our primary consultants in the Karim sample below, recorded in Yimas-2 village.

Yimas (Karim) Language Sample Audio Files
kwanduŋkul krɨpal^ji ‘2 ears’		kwandumun ‘ear’
dɨkaj ‘nose’		mɨɲɨŋ ‘tongue’

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