Namia Grammar Essentials

2. Morphophonemics

2.1 Namia Phonemes

The phonemes in Namia are /p t k m n I r w y i e u o a o/. We are undcrdiffcFentiaiing
between /a/ and /o/ writing both as a in this paper. We are overdiffercniiating the phoiK:me
AA writing it as j following high vowels, r inter\'ocalic not following high vowels, and /
elsewhere.

2.2 Consonant Changes

In word initial position the phonemes /i/ and /r/ arc in complementary distribution. /i/<KCurs
when the preceding word ends in a consonant, /r/ (x:curs when the preceding word ends in a
vowel,

pal tan awe
pole ace neg.do
without poles'

wala ran awe

place ace neg.do

without a house'

yapan to, kokiiao ro.,.
good dub bad dub
*maybe good, maybe bad. . . '

There is also a consonant change between non-future and future tense in certain \H:rb stems.
Compare:

Imperative <just verb stem) *see it':
kaenakil

Non-futiMtJ tense i see it':
onpa-kaenakir-e.

Indefinite future tense 'I will see it':
on la-kaenaki'ja.

Further research is needed to determine the reason for this consonant change.

13

Tom and Becky Feldpausch

2J2A Consonant Insertion

The allophonej of phoneme /t/ is inserted in morpheme breaks after a high vowel when the
second morpheme starts with a vowel.

walei j awe
length - neg.do
'not long'

'*wapli j ero-^e?"
2d - what-?

**What are you two doing?"

When the second morpheme starts with a high vowel or a high semi-vowel (i,y), thai sound
drops out:

*pijaki'ia

firsi-min

*at the very lirsf

pijaki'ja
first min
'at the very first*

"^yoku-ya
grass-goal .
'to the grassland'

yokU'ja

grass-goal

'to the grassland'

23 Semi-Vowel Changes

2. 3. 1 Semi-Vowel Changes

Semi-vowels also change between morphemes. The person markers occuring on the end of
imperative verb stems show this clearly. The person markers all begin with the semi-vowel
H- and it changes as follows:

/w/ -> after e (or can be interpreted as v)
-> jw after / (sometimes heard as w)
-> H' after other vowels and consonants

/w/ -> a-l€-{y)apli
imp-go-2d
'You two go!'

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Namia Grammar Essentials

/w/ -> jw kanaki'Jwam
stand- 2pl
*You (plural) stand!'

/w/ -> w yar-wapli, marijo-wapli

come-2d search-2

*You two come!* *You two search!'

23.1 Semi- Vowel Insertion

A semi-vowel w is inserted in a morpheme breakafier the rounded vowel o and before other
vowels to preserve the dominant CY pattern.

on pae p-o-we.

Is sickness pf-do-pr
*I am sick.'

2.4 Vowel

2.4.1 Vowel Changes

The vowel /o/ undergoes the following changes at a morpheme break:
Rule Example

/o/ ->

before

e

po+eoi-e

=

p-^ol'C

->

e

before

'J

po+ip-e
pQ+yar-e

=

pe-ip-e
pe-yar-e

->

before

pd+ow-e

=

P'O'we

->

before

u, w

p9+u-re
po+w'ir-

:

pO'Ur-e-
po-wir-e

->

before

C

p9+le

=

p-le

2 This change to 'o' preceding u and w also applies when u and w occur in the following
syllable after a consonant (vowel harmony).

pQ + Iwa-e = po-lwa-e
pg + mur-e = po-miir-e

Feldpausch, Tom and Becky. 1992. Namia Grammar Essentials. j^

Ukarumpa, PNG: Summer Institute of Linguistics.