Mawes language

Mawes is a Papuan language of Indonesia.

Usher (2020) proposes that it may be related to the Kwerbic languages. Foley (2018) classifies Mawes as a language isolate, and so does Hammarström (2010).

Pronouns
Pronouns are:



! !! sg !! pl ! 1 ! 2 ! 3
 * kidam || inim
 * nam || nɛm
 * ɛbɛ || mia
 * }

Basic vocabulary
Basic vocabulary of Mawes listed in Foley (2018):



! gloss !! Mawes
 * + Mawes basic vocabulary
 * ‘bird’ || ikinin
 * ‘blood’ || wɛrɛi
 * ‘bone’ || tuan
 * ‘ear’ || bɛr
 * ‘eat’ || nan
 * ‘egg’ || siwin
 * ‘eye’ || nonsum
 * ‘fire’ || kani
 * ‘leg, foot’ || yaʔ
 * ‘louse’ || sene
 * ‘name’ || dimanɛ
 * ‘one’ || mɛndakai
 * ‘see’ || nomo
 * ‘sky’ || kowan
 * ‘stone’ || fɛt
 * ‘sun’ || ɛsar
 * ‘tooth’ || wan
 * ‘tree’ || dengkin
 * ‘two’ || yakɛneu
 * ‘water’ || bo
 * ‘woman’ || yei
 * }
 * ‘one’ || mɛndakai
 * ‘see’ || nomo
 * ‘sky’ || kowan
 * ‘stone’ || fɛt
 * ‘sun’ || ɛsar
 * ‘tooth’ || wan
 * ‘tree’ || dengkin
 * ‘two’ || yakɛneu
 * ‘water’ || bo
 * ‘woman’ || yei
 * }
 * ‘tooth’ || wan
 * ‘tree’ || dengkin
 * ‘two’ || yakɛneu
 * ‘water’ || bo
 * ‘woman’ || yei
 * }
 * ‘water’ || bo
 * ‘woman’ || yei
 * }
 * }

The following basic vocabulary words are from Voorhoeve (1975), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

! gloss !! Mawes
 * head || defar
 * hair || tere
 * eye || nonsom
 * tooth || wan
 * leg || ija
 * dog || wede
 * pig || was
 * bird || ikinin
 * egg || siwin
 * blood || werei
 * bone || tuan
 * skin || dukunen
 * tree || deŋkin
 * man || ke
 * sun || esar
 * water || bo
 * fire || kani
 * stone || feyt
 * name || dimane
 * eat || nano
 * one || mendakai
 * two || yakenew
 * }
 * skin || dukunen
 * tree || deŋkin
 * man || ke
 * sun || esar
 * water || bo
 * fire || kani
 * stone || feyt
 * name || dimane
 * eat || nano
 * one || mendakai
 * two || yakenew
 * }
 * stone || feyt
 * name || dimane
 * eat || nano
 * one || mendakai
 * two || yakenew
 * }
 * one || mendakai
 * two || yakenew
 * }
 * }

Sentences
Of the few sentences that have been documented for Mawes, some example sentences are:

ɛbɛ marsya nomtak

3SG yesterday come

‘He came yesterday.’

wɛdɛ ɛbɛ ketes

dog 3SG bite

‘The dog bit him.’

ke-me totoso kida-wɛn mamɛnta fɛn tamu(k)

man-? money 1SG-POSS father DAT/ALL give

‘That man gave money to my father.’

ɛbɛ-mɛ dengkin nambuak kom sorna

3sg-? tree machete INSTR cut

‘He is cutting wood with a machete.’

ke-me sau fɛn banak

man-? village DAT/ALL go

‘That man went to the village.’

ke-me sau-er nom

man-? village-ABL come

‘That man came from the village.’

ke-me yei dete banak

man-? woman COMIT go

‘That man went with his wife.’