The Upper Yuat languages consist of two small

language families A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term ''family'' is a metaphor borrowed from biology, with the tree model used in historical linguistics ana ...

, namely Arafundi and Piawi, spoken in the region of the upper

Yuat River The Yuat is the major tributary of the Sepik River in northern Papua New Guinea. The Yuat is on the right (southern) side and joins the Sepik about 20 linear km upstream from the Keram River, and just downstream from the Chambri Lakes. The eponymo ...

of New Guinea. The connection was first suggested by William A. Foley and confirmed by Timothy Usher, who further links them to the

Madang languages The Madang or Madang–Adelbert Range languages are a language family of Papua New Guinea. They were classified as a branch of Trans–New Guinea by Stephen Wurm, followed by Malcolm Ross. William A. Foley concurs that it is "highly likely ...

.New Guinea World, Upper Yuat River
/ref> Upper Yuat languages display more typological similarities with Trans-New Guinea than the other neighboring language families of the Sepik-Ramu basin (namely the Lower Sepik-Ramu and Yuat families). The Madang languages are frequently included in Trans–New Guinea classifications, but the connection is not yet demonstrated. The Piawi languages are morphologically much simpler than the Arafundi languages.

Linguistic varieties

Foley (2018) lists the following linguistic varieties. ;Upper Yuat *

Piawi languages The Piawi languages are a small language family, family of Papuan languages spoken in the Schraeder Range of the Madang Highlands of Papua New Guinea that had been part of Stephen Wurm's Trans–New Guinea languages, Trans–New Guinea proposal. ...

: Harway ( Wiyaw / Waibuk), Pinai-Hagahai ( Pinaye,

Aramo Aramo (, ''ʿAramo'', , ''Aramo'') is a Syrian village located in Latakia Governorate north west of the country. Aramo is just 30 km from the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Aramo had a population of 4 ...

/ Aramaue) *

Arafundi languages The Arafundi languages are a small family of clearly related languages in East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. They are conjectured to be related to the Piawi and Madang languages. They are named after the Arafundi River. Alfendio is an old ...

: Awiakay, Lower Arafundi, Upper Arafundi, Imboin

Pronouns

Reconstructions of Proto-Upper Yuat personal pronoun are: : Personal pronouns in individual languages are as follows: : 3rd-person *nu (number uncertain) corresponds to Piawi 3 singular and Arafundi 2/3 plural, *ne to Piawi 2/3 plural and Arafundi 2/3 dual.

Phonology

Upper Yuat languages typically have 7 vowels: :

Linguistic varieties

Pronouns

Phonology

References

Further reading