Asmat–Kamrau languages

The Asmat – Kamrau Bay languages are a family of a dozen Trans–New Guinea languages spoken by the Asmat and related peoples in southern Western New Guinea. They are believed to be a recent expansion along the south coast, as they are all closely related, and there is little differentiation in their pronouns.

Languages
The languages are:
 * Kamrau Bay (Sabakor):
 * Buruwai (Sabakor)
 * Kamrau
 * North Kamberau (Iria)
 * South Kamberau (Asienara)
 * Asmat–Kamoro
 * Kamoro
 * Sempan
 * Asmat languages

Phonemes
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows:




 * m || n || ||
 * p || [t] || || k
 * b || [d] || ɟ || ɡ
 * [ɸ] || s || ||
 * w || r || j ||
 * }
 * [ɸ] || s || ||
 * w || r || j ||
 * }
 * }

There is near complementary distribution between *p and *ɸ. *t and *d are marginal, appearing in only a few words. *r does not occur initially. There are no consonant clusters.

Vowels are *a *e *i *o *u.

Pronouns
Ross (2005) reconstructs the proto-Asmat–Kamoro pronouns as:



! !!sg!!pl !1 !2 !3
 * no[ro]||*na[re]
 * o[ro]/we[rV]||*ca[re]
 * a[re]||
 * }

Usher (2020) reconstructs the free proto–Asmat–Kamrau Bay pronouns as:


 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }

Basic vocabulary
Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

! gloss !! Proto-Asmat-Kamrau !! Proto-Kamrau Bay !! Proto-Asmat-Kamoro !! Proto-Asmat !! Proto-Muli Strait ! head ! hair ! ear ! eye ! nose ! tooth ! tongue ! foot/leg ! blood/red ! fruit/seed/bone ! skin/bark ! breast ! louse ! dog ! pig ! bird ! egg ! tree/wood ! man/male ! woman ! sun ! moon ! water ! fire/firewood ! stone ! path ! name ! eat/drink ! one ! two
 * *uɸu || *jebin || *ufu || *kowisi 'head/skull' || *ɣo̝p 'head/hair'; *uɔndVro̝m 'head/skull'
 * *ɸini || *ɸin || *fini || *ɸinV 'hair/feather(s)' || *sin
 * *jiɸ[a/o]ne || *jaɸ[a/o]m || *jafane || *jaɸane || *ie̝pær
 * *manaN || *manam || *mana || *mana || *musiɣ
 * *miC || *mik || *mi || *mi || *mæne̝ɣ 'nose/tip'
 * *siC || *sik || *sisi || *sisV || *ziɣ
 * *komane || *[a]mam || *komane || *komVne || *ndupæn
 * *mawu || *mawu || *mawu || *mawi || *kaŋg 'leg'
 * *ese || *et || *ese || || *ir 'blood'
 * *eake || *eke || *eake || ||
 * || *ɸu || *pitini || *pitʲini || *par
 * *awo || *awo || *awo || || *abuɣ
 * *amo || *om || *amo || || *am
 * *juwuɾi || *iwuɾ || *juwuri || *juwVɾi || *i[u]bui
 * *oɸo || *ok || *ofo || || *up
 * || *geɟ || || *sakV ||
 * *[a]sa || *asa || *sa || *sa ||
 * *ose || *o || *ose || || *to̝ 'tree'
 * || *bewu || ||  || *nam 'man/person'
 * *ɟawoɟa || *jawoɟa || *cawoca || *jipitʲi || *ie̝t 'woman/wife'
 * *jawu || *asi 'sun/day' || *jawu || *jawi || *zaua
 * *buɾa || *buɾa || *pura || *piɾa || *irind
 * *m[oi/ui] || *moɟ || *mui || *mui || *mo̝i
 * *usa || *usa || *usa || *jusa || *ua[nd/r] 'fire'
 * *jeta || *eta || *j[e]ka || || *mæte̝
 * || *matoC; *mak || *mato || ||
 * *uwase || *u || *uwase || *juwase || *ur
 * *n[a]- || *n[a]- || *n[e/a] || *ne- || *no̝ku
 * *ɟawa[kV] || *-ɟawa || *cawak[e/a] || *tʲawaka ||
 * *kaboma || *aboma || *kapoma; *jam[i/u]nV || ||
 * }

Evolution
Proto-Asmat-Kamoro reflexes (Voorhoeve 2005) of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma, as listed in Pawley & Hammarström (2018):


 * *fiti ‘fingernail’ < pTNG *mb(i,u)t(i,u)C
 * *isi ‘mosquito’ < *kasin
 * *ese ‘blood’ < *kenja
 * *masap or *masip ‘saliva’ < *si(mb,p)atV
 * *yi ‘urine’ < *[si]si
 * *asa ‘excrement’ < *asa
 * *manaka ‘eye’ < *mun(a,e,i)ka
 * *sisi ‘tooth’ < *(t,s)i(t,s)i
 * *yirama ‘night’ < *k(i,u)tama
 * *tama ‘morning’ < *k(i,u)tama
 * *na- ‘eat’ < *na-