View source for Kuman language (New Guinea)

{{Short description|Trans–New Guinea language spoken in Papua New Guinea}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Kuman
|nativename=
|states=[[Papua New Guinea]]
|region=[[Chimbu Province]], from [[Kundiawa]] to beyond [[Kerowagi]] in the west and Gembogl in the north, at the foot of [[Mount Wilhelm]]
|speakers={{sigfig|115,000|2}}
|date=2000 census
|ref=e25
|speakers2=L2: 70,000 (2021)<ref name=e25/>
|familycolor=Papuan
|fam1=[[Trans–New Guinea]]
|fam2=[[Chimbu–Wahgi languages|Chimbu–Wahgi]]
|fam3=[[Chimbu languages|Chimbu]]
|iso3=kue
|glotto=kuma1280
|glottorefname=Kuman
}}

'''Kuman''' (also '''Chimbu''' or '''Simbu''') is a language of [[Chimbu Province]], [[Papua New Guinea]]. In 1994, it was estimated that 80,000 people spoke Kuman, 10,000 of them [[monolingual]]s;<ref>{{e15|kue}}</ref> in the 2000 census, 115,000 were reported, with few monolinguals.<ref name=e25/> ''[[Ethnologue]]'' also reported 70,000 second language speakers in 2021.<ref name=e25/>

==Phonology==
Like other [[Chimbu languages]], Kuman has rather unusual [[lateral consonant]]s. Besides the typical {{IPA|/l/}}, it has a "laterally released velar affricate" which is voiced medially and voiceless finally (and does not occur initially).<ref>Foley, 1986:63, ''The Papuan languages of New Guinea''</ref> Based on related languages, this is presumably {{IPA|/k͡𝼄/}}, allophonically {{IPA|[ɡ͡ʟ̝]}} (see [[voiceless velar lateral fricative]]).

=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Plosive]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|
|{{IPA link|k}}
|-
!<small>prenasal/vd.</small>
|{{IPA link|ᵐb}} ~ {{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|ⁿd}} ~ {{IPA link|d}}
|
|{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}} ~ {{IPA link|g}}
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Fricative]]
|
|{{IPA link|s}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Tap and flap consonants|Tap]]
|
|{{IPA link|ɾ}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|{{IPA link|l}}
|
|{{IPA link|ʟ}}
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Semivowel]]
|{{IPA link|w}}
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|}

* Voiced plosives are usually prenasal, but may fluctuate in word-initial position as ordinary voiced stops {{IPA|[b, d, ɡ]}}.
* Voiceless stops {{IPA|/p, t, k/}} are always aspirated {{IPA|[pʰ, tʰ, kʰ]}} in word-initial position.
* {{IPA|/ɾ/}} only occurs word-medially and word-finally. In word-final position it is heard as a trill {{IPAblink|r}}.
* {{IPA|/s/}} can be pronounced as {{IPAblink|s}}, {{IPAblink|ᵗs}} in word-initial position.
* {{IPA|/w/}} can be pronounced as {{IPAblink|β}} before front vowels {{IPA|/i, e/}}.
* {{IPA|/ʟ/}} is heard as voiceless {{IPAblink|ʟ̥}} or fricative {{IPAblink|𝼄}}, when preceding a consonant. It is heard as a voiced fricative {{IPAblink|ʟ̝}} when between vowels. It is also heard as an alveolar fricative {{IPAblink|ɬ}} before an /s/.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pfantz|first=Daryl & Mary|title=Kuman Language [Simbu Province]|publisher=SIL|year=2004|location=Organized Phonological Data}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Piau|first=Julie A.|title=Verbal Syntax of Kuman.|publisher=Australian National University: Canberra.|year=1985}}</ref>

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[High vowel|High]]
|{{IPAlink|i}}
|
|{{IPAlink|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPAlink|e}}
|
|{{IPAlink|o}}
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
|
|colspan="2"|{{IPAlink|a}}
|}

* /a/ can be heard as either central {{IPAblink|ä}} or back {{IPAblink|ɑ}} in free variation.
* /e/ is pronounced as {{IPAblink|ɛ}} as a first vowel in a word.
* /o/ is pronounced in its lax form as {{IPAblink|ɔ}} before /ɾ/.

===Syllable patterns===
[[Syllable]] structure is (C)V(C). Any consonant can occur in [[Syllable onset|onset]] position, but in [[Syllable coda|coda]] position only /m/, /n/, /gɬ/, /l/ and /k/ can occur.<ref name="Trefry" />

==Grammar==
Kuman is an [[Subject–object–verb|SOV]] language.

{{Expand section|date=December 2009}}

==Vocabulary==
The following basic vocabulary words are from Salisbury (1956)<ref>Salisbury, R.F. 1956. The Siane Language of the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea. ''Anthropos'' 51:447-480.</ref> and Trefry (1969),<ref name="Trefry">{{Cite book| title = A comparative study of Kuman and Pawaian| last=Trefry |first=D | year=1969|publisher=ANU Asia-Pacific Linguistics / Pacific Linguistics Press|location=Canberra |hdl=1885/146470}}</ref> as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://transnewguinea.org/language/kuman |title=TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea |last=Greenhill |first=Simon |date=2016 |access-date=2020-11-05}}</ref>

:{| class="wikitable sortable"
! gloss !! Kuman
|-
! head
| bit-na; bɩtiɩno
|-
! hair
| iŋguno; yungo
|-
! ear
| kina-na; kunano
|-
! eye
| gumutino; ongomit-na
|-
! nose
| guma-ne; gumano
|-
! tooth
| siŋguno
|-
! tongue
| dirambino
|-
! leg
| kati; kat-na
|-
! louse
| numan
|-
! dog
| aʝg; agi; akɬ ̥
|-
! pig
| bogla; bugɬa
|-
! bird
| kua
|-
! egg
| mugɬo; muɬo
|-
! blood
| borɔmai; bořumai; maiam
|-
! bone
| yambiřo; yombura
|-
! skin
| gaŋgino
|-
! breast
| amu-na; amuno
|-
! tree
| endi
|-
! man
| yagl; yakɬ ̥
|-
! woman
| ambu
|-
! sun
| ande; andesuŋgua
|-
! moon
| ba
|-
! water
| nigl; nikɬ ̥
|-
! fire
| baugl; doŋga
|-
! stone
| kombuglo; kombugɬo
|-
! road, path
| konbo; konumbo
|-
! name
| kaŋgin; kangi-ne
|-
! eat
| neuŋgua
|-
! one
| suařa
|-
! two
| suo
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Hardie, Peter. 2003. ''Is Kuman Tonal? An account of basic segmental and tonological structure in the Papuan language Kuman''. MA thesis: Australian National University
*{{WALS|kmn|Kuman}} <!-- Leave the ISO 639-3 as is. That's how WALS named it -->

== External links ==
* [http://www-01.sil.org/pacific/png/pubs/928474523654/2_Kuman.pdf Kuman phonology and sample text]
* [[Kaipuleohone]] has a [[Chimbu–Wahgi languages|Chimbu-Wahgi]] collection from Andrea L. Berez that [https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/29514 includes Kuman language materials]
* A number of collections in [[Paradisec]] include [http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/search?language_code=kue Kuman materials]
{{Languages of Papua New Guinea}}
{{Chimbu–Wahgi languages}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Languages of Simbu Province]]
[[Category:Languages of Eastern Highlands Province]]
[[Category:Chimbu–Wahgi languages]]
[[Category:Subject–object–verb languages]]


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