South Bird's Head languages

South Bird's Head
South Doberai North Berau Gulf
Geographic distribution	West Irian Jaya
Linguistic classification	Trans–New Guinea Berau Gulf South Bird's Head
Subdivisions	South Bird's Head proper Inanwatan Konda–Yahadian
Glottolog	None sout1516  (South Bird's Head proper) kond1302  (Konda–Yahadian) inan1242  (Inanwatan)
Map: The South Bird's Head languages of New Guinea   The South Bird's Head languages   Other Trans–New Guinea languages   Other Papuan languages   Austronesian languages   Uninhabited

The South Bird's Head or South Doberai languages are three families of Papuan languages. They form part of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross.

Languages

The languages are as follows,

• Yabin: Konda, Yahadian
• South Bird's Head proper (Nuclear South Bird's Head):
  • Inanwatan (Western): Duriankere, Suabo (Inanwatan)
  • Eastern
    • Kokoda–Arandai: Weriagar (Kemberano, Barau), Arandai (Dombano) [dialect cluster],, Kokoda (Tarof, Kasuweri)
    • Kais (Kampong Baru)
    • Iwaro–Kaburi: Puragi (Iwaro), Kaburi

Pronouns

The pronouns are:

	sg	pl
1ex	*na	*ni-ri, *i-ri
1in		*na-ri, *ya-ri
2	*a	*a-ri, *i-ri

3sg *ni is reconstructable for SBH proper. There appears to be both a plural vowel change from *a to *i, as in proto-TNG, and a plural suffix *-ri.

References

• Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.