Porome
Kibiri
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionGulf Province, Kikori District, near Aird Hills, on several tributaries of Kikori River, villages of Tipeowo, Doibo, Paile, Babaguina, Ero, and Wowa in southern Papua New Guinea
Native speakers
1,200 (2011)[1]
Dialects
  • Porome
  • Kibiri
Language codes
ISO 639-3prm
Glottologkibi1239
ELPKibiri-Porome
Map: The Porome language of New Guinea
  The Porome language (large bay, southern PNG)
  Trans–New Guinea languages
  Other Papuan languages
  Austronesian languages
  Uninhabited
Coordinates: 7°27′S 144°17′E / 7.450°S 144.283°E / -7.450; 144.283

Porome, also known as Kibiri, is a Papuan language of southern Papua New Guinea.

Classification

Porome was classified as a language isolate by Stephen Wurm. Although Malcolm Ross linked it to the Kiwaian languages, there is no evidence for a connection apart from the pronouns 1sg amo and 2sg do (cf. proto-Kiwaian *mo and *oro).

Distribution

There are over a thousand speakers in Babaguina (7°28′52″S 144°15′14″E / 7.480977°S 144.254009°E / -7.480977; 144.254009 (Babaguina)), Doibo (7°27′28″S 144°16′18″E / 7.45766°S 144.271731°E / -7.45766; 144.271731 (Doibo/Babeio/Veiru)), Ero (7°26′46″S 144°21′53″E / 7.446131°S 144.364831°E / -7.446131; 144.364831 (Ero)), Paile, Tipeowo, and Wowa (7°24′51″S 144°18′56″E / 7.414287°S 144.315579°E / -7.414287; 144.315579 (Wowou)) villages in West Kikori Rural LLG and East Kikori Rural LLG of Gulf Province, near the Aird Hills and Kikori River tributaries.[2][3]

Phonology

Porome has 9 native consonants. /s/ occurs in loanwords. There are no glottal consonants.[4]

ptk~g~ɣ
bd
v
mn
r
(s)

There are five vowels, which are /a, e, i, o, u/.[4]

Like the surrounding languages, Porome is a tonal language. It has 5 tones.[4]

  • High-level: kóí ‘cloth’
  • Low-level: kòì ‘selfish’
  • Rising: mèrí ‘road’
  • Falling: mérìpandanus
  • Peaking: pàkúmì ‘feather’

Pronouns

The independent pronouns and subject suffixes to the verb are as follows:

sgdupl
1 amo, -meamó-kaiamó, -ke/-ki
2 do, -keaia-kaia, -ka
3 da, -a/-bVabo-kaiabo, -abo

Vocabulary

Selected Porome vocabulary from Petterson (2010):[5]

Body parts

PoromeGloss
kikimihead
kikimikurohair
pakaiforehead
ipiri kukuroeyebrow, eyelashes
ipirieye
obokeraear
urubinose
koropitooth
beritongue
kakimorocheek
irihand
kakathumb
iri urakapalm
upuruburowaraback
itariback of neck (nape)
eimurobreast
bamakaichest
bakuribelly
koupurishoulder
kuneithigh
murikaraknee
warakeroleg
kakapufoot

Numerals

PoromeGloss
tauri0
wakua1
kabirai2
wauteri3
kaka etekaro4
irikia wakua5
irikia wakua, muro wakua6
irikia wakua, muro kabirai7
irikia wakua, muro wauteri8
irikia wakua, muro kaka etekaro9
irikia kabirai10

Village and society

PoromeGloss
kurivillage
mapihouse
ereifire
kumapistone
wawaricreek
meripath
penonibridge
moiamen
eriawomen
kariboys
mibugirls

Nature and environment

PoromeGloss
bari nakasky
eri ipirosun
omeri teromoon
okoiristar
keibuwaves
momoiclouds
bari epurain clouds
kakaikapo, neiirain
meremerilightning
marari, konoboriwind
eroland
eiiearth, soil
ubiwater
kakuriver
eimurobush
erouriisland
mokipassage
parisand
otericliff
akaburimountain

Plants

PoromeGloss
kubitree
aveiribranch
kuriroots
oreileaf
kopoflower
eneneigrass
avuicutty grass
makaibetelnut
diicoconut
meisugarcane

Animals

PoromeGloss
bobipig
kumidog
bari mei kumochicken
kaburifrog
baramiwallaby
pusicat
kuioutree kangaroo
kaiani, keiparirat
imaisnake
boribicuscus
tumarubandicoot
kanabird-of-paradise
koropeiricassowary
wamobush fowl
kubeiriflying fox
kapasikoriblack cockatoo
marubohornbill
koribifish
einakereicentipede
eiamumillipede
morokabispider
ubatugrasshopper
nepu, matimosquito
nokoirifly
enenecicada
bebeiributterfly
aiisago grub
buburumisago beetle
mirimabiscorpion
micrab
timuriprawn
vicockle, clam
keimucrocodile
akouririver snake
dabeourisea turtle
ketokocreek turtle
watemuriver turtle

Comparison

Lexical comparison of Porome with neighboring languages:[4]

glossPorome
(isolate)
Urama
(Kiwaian)
Rumu
(Turama–Kikorian)
Ipiko
(Anim)
Folopa
(Teberan)
Baimuru
(isolate)
head kikimi / kikimaepuwotuabetopouku
eye ipiri / ipiroidomaiihiuhinokeleinamu
house mapi / mapiromotomi / veahobemarea
village kuri / kurovatiyɔ / vevatibepaʔiri
place dabu / dabovatiteivatitikipaʔiri
tree kubi / kubonuʔaideniiri
fire erei / eriaeraitaesiiʔau
dog kumi / kumoumukagahahaɔoroko
bird kumi / kumokikiokatipemubanako
water ubi / uburoobouogowęiere
earth ei / erohepupɛkɛ / hapugoʔetohaekae
base makiri / makiromabumatekamabaaleʔaia
sago i / irodukɛiduopu
1s pronoun ámòmoi / nanona
2s pronoun doroiki / kavo (< ɣo)ya̜ni
3s pronoun danuaete / itu / etou
1p pronoun àmònimonamenida̜ene
2p pronoun ariokamehodia̜noro
3p pronoun aboniameitiatimaoro

Comparison of Porome's phonological inventory with those of neighboring languages:[4]

languageno. of
consonants
no. of
vowels
/h//ʔ/
Porome 95
Baimuru 75check
Rumu 87check
Kope 105checkcheck
Urama 125checkcheck
Kerewo 135checkcheck

References

  1. Porome at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2019). "Papua New Guinea languages". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (22nd ed.). Dallas: SIL International.
  3. United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Petterson, Robert. 2019. Interesting Features of Porome: An Isolate Language of PNG. Paper presented at the LSPNG 2019 Conference. 30pp.
  5. Petterson, Robert. 2010. Porome Daporo Avea Buka = Porome Language Picture Dictionary. Ukarumpa: SIL-PNG.
  • Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.
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