Wipi language

Wipi
Gidra
Native toPapua New Guinea
Native speakers
(3,500 cited 1999)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3gdr
Glottologwipi1242

Wipi, also known as Gidra, Jibu or Oriomo,[2] is a Papuan language of New Guinea. It is a member of the Eastern Trans-Fly family, the other languages of this family being Gizrra, Meriam Mir and Bine. The family has influenced the neighbouring Kiwai language as well as Kalau Lagau Ya.

Distribution

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Wipi is spoken in fourteen main villages, with the Wipim village as the centre. Wipi speakers occupy a broad swathe of inland territory in the eastern plains between the Fly River and the Torres Strait, specifically around the Oriomo River and Binaturi River.[3]

Phonology

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Phonology of the Wipi language:[4][5]

Consonants

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Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Plosive p b t d k ɡ
Implosive ɓ
Nasal m n ŋ
Rhotic ɾ
Fricative s ʝ
Lateral l
Approximant w

Vowels

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Front Central Back
High i ɨ u
Mid e o
Low a

References

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  1. ^ Wipi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Wipi language". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. ^ Evans, Nicholas (2018). "The languages of Southern New Guinea". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 641–774. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  4. ^ Anne Dondorp and Jae-Wook Shim. 2013 [1997]. Wipi Grammar Essentials. 128pp.
  5. ^ SIL; Shim, Jae-Wook (September 2000). "Wipi (Gidra, Oriomo, Jibu) Language [GDR] Daru – Western Province" (PDF). Organised Phonology Data.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)