Karami language
Extinct unclassified Papuan language
Karami is an extinct and unclassified Papuan language of southern Papua New Guinea. It is attested from only a short word list, which include many loans from Foia Foia.
01Geographical distribution
According to Flint (1919: 96), from which the only existing word list of Karami is available, Karami was spoken in the villages of Kikimairi and Aduahai, both located near Daru Station, "on the right-hand side (in the bush) of left branch of the Turama River, Western Division, Papua."
02Classification
Although Franklin (1968; 1973: 269-273) classifies Karami as an Inland Gulf language, Usher and Suter (2015: 125) do not consider it to be part of the Anim languages, noting that there are many loanwords from Foia Foia.
Pawley and Hammarström (2018) treat Karami as a 'language isolate', though this is the wording used for languages that are not easily classified.
03Vocabulary
Below is the word list of Karami from Flint (1919), which was recorded on October 12, 1917.
gloss Karami sun aimea moon kuwiri star bube wind urama rain darepu night duruki land borti stone agabu hill darai water auwo river dupa fire mavio woman kipa man sor child kikiwea father tore mother tukini wife kipa friend mabukari chief naramuabera sorcerer adura blood toki bone goni skin kebora hair epurupa face osomi ear kuse eye epegu lip magita mouth magetia nose wodi tongue muta neck dogodi tooth saku arm sibu shoulder binahiwe elbow po finger kimarari thumb tugeti finger (1st-4th) kimarari hand simai-a leg auni foot mea belly niro breast bodoro nipple kino navel dumu pig giromoi dog kso wallaby teberi rat suma bird kaimo cassowary koibo fowl beia crocodile ibirai hornbill kube-i snake wositari fish mini louse sugani mosquito kieono forest gamai-i tree sumari sago asiba banana imara sugarcane amoro yam kusu sweet potato ori taro orpuo bamboo bira tobacco warariga village kuni house ogota path ige canoe gipainoe paddle sitara bow tiri arrow bira shield siwi no wote two kipainoe one botie three kipai-ia four mosokoto five tuporo seven diri eight ma nine ta-o ten taura twenty magagai I torgue thou kuria
Sources and credits
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