Rumu language

Papuan language spoken in Papua New Guinea
Rumu
Kairi
RegionPapua New Guinea
Native speakers
(700 cited 1990)[1]
Language family
Papuan Gulf ?
Language codes
ISO 639-3klq
Glottologrumu1243

Rumu (Rumuwa), or Kairi (Kai-Iri), is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea. Other names for it are Dumu (Tumu) and Kibiri.

Phonology

Consonants[2]
Labial Alveolar Dorsal
Plosive p t k
Fricative (s) h
Nasal m n
Approximant w r j
  • /r/ is pronounced [l] when word-initial and before /ɛ a ɔ/.
  • /w/ is [β] before /i e ɛ/.
  • /s/ only occurs in loanwords.
Vowels[2]
Front Central Back
High i u
Mid-high e ⟨ë⟩ o ⟨ö⟩
Mid-low ɛ ɔ
Low a
Diphthongs[2]
-i -e -a -u
i- ia
e- (ei) ea
ɛ- ɛi ɛa ɛu
a- ai ae au
o- (oi) oe oa
ɔ- ɔi ɔɛ ɔa ɔu
u- [ui]
  • /ei/ has merged to [i] for many speakers.
  • /oi/ has shifted to [ui] for many speakers.

Additionally, Rumu is tonal, distinguishing four tones: falling ⟨à⟩, rising ⟨á⟩, peaking ⟨â⟩, and level ⟨ā⟩.[2]

References

  1. ^ John Newman and Robert G. Petterson, 1990, “The Tones of Kairi'”, Oceanic Linguistics, 29:1, p. 75 n. 2.
  2. ^ a b c d Petterson, Robert (1992). Rumu Organised Phonology Data. SIL International.
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Papuan language families
(Palmer 2018 classification)
Trans-New Guinea
subgroups
Central Papua, Indonesia
Southeast Papua, Indonesia
Southwest Papua New Guinea
Central Papua New Guinea
Papuan Peninsula
Eastern Nusantara
families and isolatesBird's Head Peninsula
families and isolatesNorthern Western New Guinea
families and isolatesCentral Western New Guinea
families and isolatesSepik-Ramu basin
families and isolates
Torricelli subgroups
Sepik subgroups
Ramu subgroups
Gulf of Papua and southern New Guinea
families and isolatesBismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands
families and isolatesRossel Island
isolateProposed groupingsProto-language
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Official languages
Major Indigenous
languages
Other Papuan
languages
Angan
Awin–Pa
Binanderean
Bosavi
Chimbu–Wahgi
New Ireland
Duna–Pogaya
East Kutubuan
East Strickland
Engan
Eleman
Ok–Oksapmin
Teberan
Tirio
Turama–Kikorian
Larger families
Sign languages


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