Mian language
| Mian | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region |
Sandaun province, Telefomin district |
| Ethnicity | Mianmin |
Native speakers |
from 1,400 (2000 census)[1] to 3,500 (2007)[2] |
|
Trans–New Guinea
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 |
mpt |
| Glottolog |
mian1256[3] |
Mian is an Ok language spoken in the Telefomin district of the Sandaun province in Papua New Guinea by the Mian people. It has some 3,500 speakers spread across two dialects: West Mian with approximately 1,000 speakers in around Yapsiei and East Mian with approximately 2,500 speakers in and around Timeilmin, Temsakmin, Sokamin, Gubil, Fiak and Hotmin.[2] Phonologically, Mian is very similar to other Papuan languages in the size of its phoneme inventory, but it nevertheless has some peculiarities, such as its contrast between a plain [a] and a pharyngealized [aˤ]. It is also a tonal language.
Phonology
Vowels
Mian has 6 vowels, including the pharyngealized open front vowel.
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Unrounded | Rounded | |
| Close | i /i/ | u /u/ |
| Close-mid | o /o/ | |
| Open-mid | e /ɛ/ | |
| Open | a /a/ aa /aˤ/ |
And 4 diphthongs:
| Ending with /i/ | Ending with /u/ |
|---|---|
| ai /a͡i/ | au /a͡u/ |
| ei /ɛ͡i/ | ou /o͡u/ |
/ɛ/ is realized as [ə] in word-initial low-tone syllables, [ɛ] elsewhere.
/a/ is realized as [ɐ] in unaccented syllables, [ə] in word-initial low-tone syllables beginning with a consonant, [a] elsewhere.
/o/ is realized as [ɔ] in word-initial low-tone syllables and in syllables ending in a voiceless plosive or [ŋ], [o] elsewhere.
/u/ is realized as [ʊ] in word-initial low-tone syllables, [u] elsewhere.
Consonants
Mian has 15 consonants:
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Labialized | |||||||
| Plosive | Voiceless | t /t/ | k /k/ | kw /kʷ/ | ||||
| Voiced | b /b/ | d /d/ | g /ɡ/ | gw /ɡʷ/ | ||||
| Nasal | m /m/ | n /n/ | ng /ŋ/ | |||||
| Fricative | f /f/ | s /s/ | h /h/ | |||||
| Approximant | l /l/ | y /j/ | w /w/ | |||||
/b/ is realized as [ᵐb] word-initially, [pʰ] or [p̚] syllable-finally, [b] elsewhere.
- Examples: banǒn [ᵐbànǒn] lower arm, mǎab [mǎˤːp̚] frog, teběl [tʰɛ̀bɛ̌l] ant
/t/ is realized as [tʰ] before vowels, [tʰ] or [t̚] syllable-finally.
- Examples: tam [tʰàm] temple, mát [mát̚] gall bladder
/k/ is realized as [kʰ] before vowels, [kʰ] or [k̚] syllable-finally, sometimes [x] between vowels, [qʰ] before [aˤ].
- Examples: kemin [kʰèmìn] to do, manggěk [màŋgɛ̌k̚] bee, okok [òxòk̚] work, kaawá [qʰàˤwá] steel axe
/ɡ/ is realized as [ᵑɡ] word-initially, [ɡ] elsewhere.
- Examples: gát [ᵑɡát̚] mole, manggěk [màŋɡɛ̌k̚] bee
/ɡʷ/ is realized as [ᵑɡʷ] word-initially, [ɡʷ] elsewhere.
- Examples: gwaán [ᵑɡʷàán] spider, gwalgwal [ᵑɡʷàlɡʷàl] twins
Tones
Mian has 5 tonemes:
| Tone | Example |
|---|---|
| Low | am [àm] house |
| High | án [án] arrow |
| Low-High | ǎam [ǎˤːm] Pandanus species |
| High-Low | hâs [hâs] hat |
| Low-High-Low | aam [àˤːm̂] older sister |
The tones of Mian are very complex, as they are subject to various phonological processes, and furthermore, they can be used for indicating various grammatical aspects, especially in connection with verbs, where the tones are crucial for understanding.
Consider the two verb forms below, being non-hodiernal and imperfective respectively:
- dolâbībe [dòlábíbè] I wrote
- dolâbibe [dòlábìbè] I am writing
References
Digital resources
- Fedden, Sebastian; Timothy Feist; Matthew Baerman; Greville G. Corbett; Gunter Senft (2015). Mian and Kilivila Collection. University of Surrey. doi:10.15126/SMG.30/1.
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