Torricelli Range – Sepik Coast languages

The Torricelli languages are a family of about fifty languages of the northern Papua New Guinea coast, spoken by about 80,000 people. They are named after the Torricelli Mountains. The most populous and best known Torricelli language is Arapesh, with about 30,000 speakers.

The most promising external relationship for the Torricelli family is the Sepik languages. In reconstructions of both families, the pronouns have a plural suffix ''*-m'' and a dual suffix ''*-p''.

History

The Torricelli languages occupy three geographically separated areas, evidently separated by later migrations of Sepik-language speakers several centuries ago. Foley considers the Torricelli languages to be autochthonous to the Torricelli Mountains and nearby surrounding areas, having been resident in the region for at least several millennia. The current distribution of Lower Sepik-Ramu and Sepik (especially Ndu) reflects later migrations from the south and the east. Foley notes that the Lower Sepik and Ndu groups have lower internal diversity comparable to that of the Germanic and Romance languages, while internal diversity within the Torricelli family is considerably higher.

Typological overview

Syntax

The Torricelli languages are unusual among Papuan languages in having a basic clause order of SVO (subject–verb–object). (In contrast, most Papuan languages have SOV order.) It was previously believed that the Torricelli word order was a result of contact with Austronesian languages, but Donohue (2005) believes it is more likely that SVO order was present in the Torricelli proto-language.

Torricelli languages display many typological features that are direct opposites of features typical in the much more widespread Trans-New Guinea languages.Foley, Bill. 2005
Papuan languages
as written for the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics 2003.
*''Torricelli'': prepositions, SVO, left-branching
*''Trans-New Guinea'': postpositions, SOV, right-branching

However, Bogia and Marienberg languages have SOV word order and postpositions, likely as a result of convergence with Lower Sepik-Ramu and Sepik languages, which are predominantly SOV.

Torricelli languages also lack clause chaining constructions, and therefore have no true conjunctions or clause-linking affixes. Clauses are often simply juxtaposed.

Nouns

In Torricelli and Lower Sepik-Ramu languages, phonological properties of nouns can even determine gender.

Like in the Yuat and Lower Sepik-Ramu languages, Lower Sepik-Ramu languages, nouns in Torricelli languages are inflected for number, which is a typological feature not generally found in the Trans–New Guinea languages, Trans–New Guinea, Sepik languages, Sepik, Lakes Plain languages, Lakes Plain, West Papuan languages, West Papuan, Alor–Pantar languages, Alor–Pantar, and Tor–Kwerba languages, Tor–Kwerba language families.

Classification

Wilhelm Schmidt (linguist), Wilhelm Schmidt linked the Wapei and Monumbo branches, and the coastal western and eastern extremes of the family, in 1905. The family was more fully established by David Laycock in 1965. Most recently, Ross broke up Laycock and Z’graggen's (1975) Kombio branch, placing the Kombio language in the Palei branch and leaving Wom as on its own, with the other languages (Eitiep language, Eitiep, Torricelli language, Torricelli (Lou), Yambes language, Yambes, Aruek language, Aruek) unclassified due to lack of data. Usher tentatively separates Monumbo, Marienberg, and the Taiap language, Taiap (Gapun) language from the rest of the family in a 'Sepik Coast' branch.

*Sepik Coast
** Marienberg branch: Bungain language, Bungain, Wiarumus language, Wiarumus (Mandi), Muniwara language, Muniwara (Juwal), Urimo language, Urimo, Kamasau language, Kamasau, Elepi language, Elepi, Buna language, Buna
** Monumbo languages, Monumbo branch (see)
** ''Taiap language, Taiap''
*Torricelli Range
** ''Wom language (Papua New Guinea), Wom''
** Arapesh branch (see)
** Maimai languages, Maimai branch: Nambi language, Nambi (Nabi), Wiaki language, Wiaki (Minidien), Beli language, Beli, Laeko language, Laeko, Maimai proper (Siliput language, Siliput, Yahang language, Yahang–Heyo language, Heyo)
** One languages, West Wapei branch: Seti language, Seti, Seta language, Seta, One language, One (a dialect cluster)
** Wapei languages, Wapei branch: Gnau language, Gnau, Yis language, Yis, Yau language (Torricelli), Yau, Olo language, Olo, Elkei language, Elkei, Au language, Au, Yil language, Yil, Ningil language, Ningil, Dia language, Dia–Sinagen language, Sinagen (both Alu, Galu), Yapunda language, Yapunda, Valman language, Valman
** Palei languages, Palei branch: Urim language, Urim, Urat language, Urat, Kombio language, Kombio, Agi language, Agi, Aruop language, Aruop, Wanap language, Wanap (Kayik), Amol language, Amol (Alatil, Aru), Aiku language, Aiku (Ambrak language, Ambrak, Yangum language, Yangum)

Foley (2018)

William A. Foley, Foley (2018) provides the following classification.

* Bogia group
**Mambuwan language, Mambuwan (Monumbo language, Monumbo)
**Lilau language, Lilau
*Marienberg Hills languages, Marienberg Hills group
**Buna language, Buna, Blabla language, Blabla (Elapi language, Elapi / Elepi language, Samap)
**Kamasau language, Kamasau
**Bungain language, Bungain
**Muniwara language, Muniwara, Urimo language, Urimo, Mandi language, Mandi (Wiarumus language, Wiarumus)
*Arapeshan languages, Arapeshan group: Mountain Arapesh language, Mountain Arapesh (Bukiyip language, Bukiyip), Southern Arapesh language, Southern Arapesh (Muhiang language, Muhiang / Mufian language, Mufian), Bumbita language, Bumbita (Weri language, Weri), Abu' language, Abu'
*Urim languages, Urim group: Urim language, Urim, Urat language, Urat, Kombio language, Kombio, etc.
*Maimai languages, Maimai group
**Beli language, Beli, Laeko-Libuat language, Laeko-Libuat
**Wiaki language, Wiaki
**Siliput language, Siliput, Yahang language, Yahang, Heyo language, Heyo
*Wapei-Palei languages, Wapei-Palei group
**Wapei languages, Wapei group: Yis language, Yis, Yau language, Yau, Olo language, Olo, Elkei language, Elkei, Au language, Au, Yil language, Yil, Alu language (Papuan), Alu, Ningil language, Ningil, Gnau language, Gnau, Yapunda language, Yapunda, Walman language, Walman (Valman language, Valman)
**Palei languages, Palei group: Nambi language, Nambi, Agi language, Agi, Aruop language, Aruop (Srenge language, Srenge), Kayik language, Kayik, Aiku language, Aiku, Braget language, Braget, Amol language, Aru, Ambrak language, Ambrak
*One languages, One group: One language, One, Seta language, Seta, Seti language, Seti, etc.

Foley rejects Laycock's (1975) Kombio-Arapeshan languages, Kombio-Arapeshan grouping, instead splitting up into the Arapesh and Urim languages, Urim groups.

''Glottolog'' 3.4

''Glottolog'' 3.4 presents a vastly different classification for the "Nuclear Torricelli" languages.

*Au language, Au-Olo language, Olo-Elkei language, Elkei
*''Beli language, Beli''
*Sinagen language, Galu-Alu
*''Gnau language, Gnau''
*Kombio language, Kombio-Arapesh-Urat language, Urat (10 languages)
*Laeko-Libuat language, Laeko-Libuat
*Marienberg (7 languages)
*''Minidien language, Minidien''
*Nabi language, Nabi-Metan
*Ningil language, Ningil-Yil language, Yil
*Nuclear Maimai languages, Maimai (3 languages)
*Nuclear Palei languages, Palai (7 languages)
*''Urim language, Urim''
*''Wanap language, Wanap''
*West Palai (3 languages): Walman language, Walman, Agi language, Agi-Yeri language, Yeri
*One languages, West Wapei (8 languages)
*''Wom language (Papua New Guinea), Wom''
*Yau language (Torricelli), Yau-Yis language, Yis

Pronouns

The pronouns Ross (2005) reconstructs for proto-Torricelli are

:

Foley (2018) reconstructs the independent personal pronouns *ki ‘I’ and *(y)i ‘thou’, and *(y)ip ‘you (pl)’. Foley considers the second-person pronouns to be strong diagnostics for determining membership in the Torricelli family.

Foley (2018) reconstructs the following subject agreement prefixes for proto-Torricelli.

:

Lexical comparison

The lexical data below is from the Trans-New Guinea database.

Cognate sets

A cognate set for 'louse' in Torricelli languages as compiled by Dryer (2022):

:

See also

* Papuan languages

References

Bibliography

*
* Donald Laycock, Laycock, Donald C. 1968. Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea. ''Oceanic Linguistics'', 7 (1): 36-66.
*

External links

Torricelli languages database at TransNewGuinea.org

{{language families

Torricelli languages,
Language families
Languages of Momase Region
Subject–verb–object languages