Torricelli languages

Torricelli languages
Torricelli Range – Sepik Coast
Geographic distribution	New Guinea
Linguistic classification	One of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions	Wom Arapesh Maimai West Wapei Marienberg Wapei Palei Monumbo Taiap
Glottolog	nucl1708  (Nuclear Torricelli)

The Torricelli languages are a family of about fifty languages of the northern Papua New Guinea coast, spoken by only about 80,000 people. They are named after the Torricelli Mountains. The most populous and best known Torricelli language is the Arapesh, with about 30,000 speakers.

The most promising external relationship for the Torricelli family is the Sepik languages. In reconstructions of both families, the pronouns have a plural suffix *-m and a dual suffix *-p.

The Torricelli languages occupy three geographically separated areas, evidently separated by migrations of Sepik-language speakers several centuries ago.

Classification

Wilhelm Schmidt linked the Wapei and Monumbo branches, and the coastal western and eastern extremes of the family, in 1905. The family was more fully established by David Laycock in 1965. Most recently, Ross broke up Laycock and Z’graggen's (1975) Kombio branch, placing the Kombio language in the Palei branch and leaving Wom as on its own, with the other languages (Eitiep, Torricelli (Lou), Yambes, Aruek) unclassified due to lack of data. Usher tentatively separates Monumbo, Marienberg, and the Taiap (Gapun) isolate in a 'Sepik Coast' branch, separated from the rest of the family.

• Sepik Coast
  • Marienberg branch: Bungain, Wiarumus (Mandi), Muniwara (Juwal), Urimo, Kamasau, Elepi, Buna
  • Monumbo branch (see)
  • ? Taiap
• Torricelli Range
  • Wom
  • Arapesh languages (see)
  • Maimai branch: Nambi (Nabi), Wiaki (Minidien), Beli, Laeko, Maimai proper (Siliput, Yahang–Heyo)
  • West Wapei branch: Seti, Seta, One (a dialect cluster)
  • Wapei branch: Gnau, Yis, Yau, Olo, Elkei, Au, Yil, Dia (Alu), Ningil, Sinagen (Galu), Yapunda, Valman
  • Palei branch: Urim, Urat, Kombio, Agi, Aruop, Wanap (Kayik), Amol (Alatil, Aru), Aiku (Ambrak, Yangum)

Ethnologue also lists Bragat in the Palei branch.

Typological overview

The Torricelli languages are unusual among Papuan languages in having a basic clause order of SVO (subject–verb–object). (In contrast, most Papuan languages have SOV order.) It was previously believed that the Torricelli word order was a result of contact with Austronesian languages, but it is now thought more likely that SVO order was present in the Torricelli proto-language.

Pronouns

The pronouns Ross reconstructs for proto-Torricelli are

I	*ki	we two	*ku-p	we	*ku-m, *əpə
thou	*yi, *ti	you two	*ki-p	you	*ki-m, *ipa
he	*ətə-n, *ni	they two (M)	*ma-k	they (M)	*ətə-m, *ma, *apa-
she	*ətə-k, *ku	they two (F)	*kwa-k	they (F)	*ətə-l

See also

• Papuan languages

Bibliography

• Donohue, Mark (2005). "Word order in New Guinea: dispelling a myth". Oceanic Linguistics. 44: 527–536. doi:10.1353/ol.2005.0033.
• Ross, Malcolm (2005), "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages", Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, pp. 15–66 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)