Kuman language (New Guinea)

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 monolinguals; in the 2000 census, 115,000 were reported, with few monolinguals. Ethnologue also reported 70,000 second language speakers in 2021.

Phonology
Like other Chimbu languages, Kuman has rather unusual lateral consonants. Besides the typical, it has a "laterally released velar affricate" which is voiced medially and voiceless finally (and does not occur initially). Based on related languages, this is presumably, allophonically (see voiceless velar lateral fricative).

Consonants

 * Voiced plosives are usually prenasal, but may fluctuate in word-initial position as ordinary voiced stops.
 * Voiceless stops are always aspirated  in word-initial position.
 * only occurs word-medially and word-finally. In word-final position it is heard as a trill.
 * can be pronounced as, in word-initial position.
 * can be pronounced as before front vowels.
 * is heard as voiceless or fricative, when preceding a consonant. It is heard as a voiced fricative  when between vowels. It is also heard as an alveolar fricative  before an /s/.

Vowels

 * /a/ can be heard as either central or back  in free variation.
 * /e/ is pronounced as as a first vowel in a word.
 * /o/ is pronounced in its lax form as before /ɾ/.

Syllable patterns
Syllable structure is (C)V(C). Any consonant can occur in onset position, but in coda position only /m/, /n/, /gɬ/, /l/ and /k/ can occur.

Grammar
Kuman is an SOV language.

Vocabulary
The following basic vocabulary words are from Salisbury (1956) and Trefry (1969), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

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