Mawes is a
Papuan language of
Indonesia.
Usher (2020) proposes that it may be related to the
Kwerbic languages
The Kwerbic, or Greater Kwerba, languages are a family of just under a dozen Papuan languages spoken in Indonesia.
Classification
The Kwerba family is clearly established. Its closest relative appears to be Isirawa. Mawes is added by Ross (200 ...
. Foley (2018) classifies Mawes as a
language isolate
Language isolates are languages that cannot be classified into larger language families. Korean and Basque are two of the most common examples. Other language isolates include Ainu in Asia, Sandawe in Africa, and Haida in North America. The num ...
,
[ and so does Hammarström (2010).
]
Pronouns
Pronouns are:[
:
]
Basic vocabulary
Basic vocabulary of Mawes listed in Foley (2018):
Sentences
Of the few sentences that have been documented for Mawes, some example sentences are:[
]
Further reading
*Wambaliau, Theresia. 2006. ''Survey Report on the Mawes Language in Papua, Indonesia''. (in Indonesian). Unpublished manuscript. Jayapura: SIL Indonesia.
*Hammarström, Harald. 2010.'' The genetic position of the Mawes language''. Paper presented at the Workshop on the Languages of Papua 2. Manokwari, Indonesia, 8–12 February 2010.
References
External links
Rosetta Project: Mawes Swadesh list
{{Tor–Kwerba languages
Foja Range languages
Languages of western New Guinea
Language isolates of New Guinea