Ambulas language

Ambulas
Ambulas
Ambelas
Native to	Papua New Guinea
Region	Sepik River basin
Ethnicity	Abelam
Native speakers	33,000 (2004)
Language family	Sepik Middle Sepik Ndu Ambulas; ; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	abt
Glottolog	ambu1247
ELP	Ambulas

Ambulas (or Abelam, Abulas) is a member of the Ndu languages of Sepik River region of northern Papua New Guinea.^[2] Dialects are Maprik, Wingei, Wosera-Kamu, Wosera-Mamu.^[1]

Phonology

Consonants^[3]
		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Plosive/ Affricate	plain	p	t		k
Plosive/ Affricate	prenasal	ᵐb	ⁿd	ᶮdʒ	ᵑg
Nasal		m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Fricative		β	s
Liquid	lateral		l
Liquid	rhotic		r
Semivowel		w		j

Vowels^[4]
	Front	Central	Back
High	(i)^[a]	ɨ	(u)^[a]
Mid		ə
Low		a

1 2 [i, u] may be heard as a realization of the sequences /əj/, /əw/ or resulting in syllabic forms of /j, w/.

Vocabulary

Word-Formation ^[5]

Reduplication

Most words in Ambulas are roots, although some word-stems are reduplicated, compounded, or derived.

Examples of Reduplication
Stem	Meaning
pepe (noun)	"flying fox species"
kiyakiya (noun)	"fever"
kwaskwas (noun)	"frog species"
jékjék (adjective)	"tough"
nyeknyek (adjective)	"soft"

Compound Stems

In Ambulas, compound stems occur within nouns (including temporal nouns and quantifiers) and verbs.

Examples of Noun Stems
Stem 1	Stem 2	Compound Stem
méni "eye"	taama "nose"	ménidama "face"
kaadé "hunger"	mu "thing"	kadému "food"
séré "tomorrow"	maa "day after"	séréma "in the future"
nak "one"	waasa "dog"	nakwasa "four"
nak "one"	taaba "hand"	naktaba "five"

Examples of Verb Stems
Stem 1	Stem 2	Compound Stem
ra "sit"	ségé "watch"	raségé "look after"
bul "talk"	tégé "close"	bultépé "interrupt"
taak "break sharply"	burép "touch against"	takuburép "chip against"
taa "carve"	kény "whittle"	taakény "carve something small"

Derivational Stems

Adjective stems can be formed by adding suffixes, such as -mama (meaning "possessing much"), to noun roots or noun stems.

Examples of Noun Root Suffixing
Root	-mama stem suffixation
apa "strength"	apamama "very strong"
yéwaa "money"	yéwamama "very wealthy"
baalé "pig"	balémama "possessing many pigs"

Examples of Noun Stem Suffixing
Root	-mama stem suffixation
kadému "food"	kadémumama "possessing much food"
gwalmu "money"	gwalmumama "very wealthy in possessions"

References

1 2 Ambulas at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
↑ OLAC resources in and about the Ambulas language
↑ Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". 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. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
↑ Palmer, Bill (2017-12-04). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-029525-2.
↑ Wilson, Patricia R. (1980). "Ambulas Grammar" (PDF). Workpapers in Papua New Guinea Languages. 26. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: Summer Institute of Linguistics. ISBN 0-7263-0702-5.

External links

OLAC resources in and about the Ambulas language
Anthony Forge Films and Recordings From the Anthony Forge Papers. MSS 411. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Ambulas Grammar (Wilson, 1980)

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[iu-5] 1 2 [i, u] may be heard as a realization of the sequences /əj/, /əw/ or resulting in syllabic forms of /j, w/.

[e25-1] 1 2 Ambulas at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[2] OLAC resources in and about the Ambulas language

[Foley-Sepik-3] Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". 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. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.

[4] Palmer, Bill (2017-12-04). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-029525-2.

[6] Wilson, Patricia R. (1980). "Ambulas Grammar" (PDF). Workpapers in Papua New Guinea Languages. 26. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: Summer Institute of Linguistics. ISBN 0-7263-0702-5.

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