III. COMPARATIVE NOTES ON THE ANGADI-MIMIKA GROUP OF LANGUAGES.
This group consists of the Angadi, Nagramadu, Goreda, Utanata, Lakahia, Mimika and Kupera Pukwa dialects, and perhaps also Kiruru.
1. Sound changes.[36]
A comparison of vocabularies shows a certain amount of sound change between the dialects. Thus Angadi m becomes b in Utanata and Mimika and vice versa.[37]
| Ex. | Angadi muti, Mimika and Utanata buïti, bamboo. Angadi mopere, Nagramadu mobere(bu), Mimika bopere, navel. Angadi mirimoi, Utanata birimbu, Mimika birim, nose. Angadi mau, Utanata mouw, Mimika bauwe, foot. Angadi tohoma-pare, Mimika to-mari, arm. |
The Angadi m is represented sometimes by mb in Mimika, but is retained in Lakahia and Kiruru. Utanata examples are not found.
| Ex. |
Angadi mi, Lakahia mu, Kiruru mi, Mimika mbi, mbu, water. Angadi metaho, Mimika mbatau, spit. Angadi imiri, Mimika imbiri, shin. Mimika amuri is Kupera Pukwa ambori. |
Angadi in some words loses k or g which appears in Mimika and Lakahia.
| Ex. | Angadi irĕa, Mimika irĕka, Utanata eriki, fish. Angadi kauwa, Mimika kaukwa, woman. Angadi maare, Mimika makarĕ, armlet. Angadi măe, Mimika mbage, Utanata make, cry, weep. Angadi hehe, Lakahia eika, finger-nail. Angadi (nata)pairi, Mimika pigeri, skin. |
A few words show an interchange of r and n between Mimika and Lakahia.
|
Mimika marĕ, Lakahia mana, finger. (Utanata to-mare, Angadi mahare, hand.) Mimika iribu, Utanata and Angadi iripu, Lakahia ini-fa, knee. Mimika amuri, Utanata amure, Angadi amore, Lakahia amuno, bow, Kupera Pukwa ambori. |
2. Vocabulary.
The great likeness of the dialects may be illustrated by the following examples:—
| Angadi. | Utanata. | Mimika. | ||
| Arm. | to (in compounds) | tō | to | Lakahia esu-rua (?) |
| Arrow. | ka-tiaro (in bundle) | tiăre | tiari | |
| Boat. | ku | ku | ku | |
| Chin. | kepare | .. | kepare | |
| Coconut. | utiri | uteri | uteri | Kupera Pukwa otiri. |
| Dog. | uwiri | wuri | wiri | Lakahia iwora, Nagramaduiwŏra, Kupera Pukwa uweri. |
| Ear. | ihani | iänī | ene | |
| Eye. | măme | mame | mame | |
| Fire. | utămai | uta | uta | Lakahia ŭsia, Kiruru uta,Nagramadu uha. |
| Give. | kema | .. | kema | |
| Hair. | rup-ere | uirī | viri | Kupera Pukwa, uïri |
| Hand. mahare | tu-mare | marĕ | Lakahia, mana (finger). | |
| Head. | rupau | upauw | kapa-uĕ | Lakahia uwua. |
| House. | kăme | kamī | kamĕ | |
| Iron. | jau (pot) | (puruti) | tau | |
| Laugh. | oko | oku | oko | |
| Lip. | iri | iri (mouth) | iri | Kiruru uru (mouth). |
| Moon. | pură | uran | pura | Lakahia bura. |
| Mountain | .. | (pamogo) | pukare | Lakahia bugura, Wuaussirau wara. |
| Neck. | amoiï | ema | ima | Lakahia umia, Nagramaduumeke. |
| Paddle. | pá | pō | poh | Lakahia boa. |
| Pig. | ŏhŏ | ū | u | Lakahia u(fa), Nagramaduŏhă, Kupera Pukwa uwĕ. |
| Rain. | keke | komak | ke | Lakahia ge(fa), Kiruru kē. |
| Sago. | amata | (kinani) | amota | Lakahia ama, Nagramaduĕma, Kupera Pukwa amĕta. |
| Sleep. | ete | ete | ete | Kupera Pukwa ete. |
| Sugarcane. | .. | mone | mŏni | Lakahia moni(fa). |
| Sun. | jăū | youw | yau | Lakahia aya. |
| Tongue. | mere | mare | malī | Lakahia mara. |
| Tooth. | titi | titi | titi | Nagramadu si. |
| Wind. | kimiri | lowri | kimire | Kiruru kemuru. |
3. Pronouns. These are given only in Mimika for the singular number, and in Utanata for the first person singular, but the words for “I,” Mimika doro and Utanata area are unlike. In Mimika the possessive is shown by the suffix -ta, which is used also with other words. Dorota, mine, oro-ta, yours, amare-ta his, wehwaída-ta of another man. Wehwaída is compounded apparently of uwe (rí) man and awaída other. In Mairassis “I” is omona.
4. Numerals. No numerals are given by Müller or Earl for Utanata. “People of Utanata had very little knowledge of counting. When wishing to make known any number, they made use of the word awerí and counted on their fingers and toes.”[38] In Angadi, Nagramadu, Goreda, Lakahia and Mimika, the numbers appear as follows:
| Angadi. | Nagramadu. | Goreda. | Lakahia. | Mimika. | |
| 1. | janăūwă | nadi | unakwa | onarawa | inakwa |
| 2. | jaminatia | ăbåmă | jămanini | aboma | yamani |
| 3. | jaminati-janăūwa | ăbåmă-nadi | .. | (torua) | yamani-inakwa |
| 4. | awaitămă-jaminatia | abama-båmŏ | .. | (fāt) | ama-yamani |
| 5. | măhăre-ajăherauri | măma-riba | maheri-herori | (rim) | .. |
| 6. | măhăre-janăūwa | mariba-nadi | .. | rim-onarawa | .. |
| 10. | măhăre-jăminatia | măma răbåmă | tăoru | .. | .. |
These show a numeration only as far as two. “Three” and “four” are made by additions, 2 + 1 = 3 and 2 + 2 = 4, except in Angadi where awaitămă-jaminatia means “another two” with which cf. the Mimika awaida, other. Măhăre, maheri, mari in the words for “five” also mean “hand,” abbreviated to mă in măma of Nagramadu. The Goreda tăoru given for “ten,” is the Angadi tăöru, much, Mimika takiri, many. In Lakahia the words for “three,” “four,” “five,” “six” have the Ceram numerals which are also used in Lobo and Namatote. The Mairassis and Wuaussirau numerals agree with one another, but differ entirely from those of the Angadi-Mimika group.
| One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Ten | |
| Mairassis | tangauw | amoōi | karia | āi | iworo | iwora-mōi | werowa-mōi |
| Wuaussirau | anau | amōi | karia | aiwera | iworo | iwor-tanau | iwor-toki-tani |
The low numeration in all these languages may be regarded as an indication of their Papuan character.
5. Construction.
A few grammatical forms which appear to be indicated in the vocabularies may be noted here.
a. The possessive with pronouns and pronominal words is indicated by a suffix -ta. Mimika, doro-ta, of me, mine; oro-ta, thine; amare-ta, his; wehwaída-ta, of another man. In Angadi several compound words end in nata, which thus appears to be a noun, na (thing?), with the possessive suffix; and it seems possible to explain such words as ută-nata, firewood; kara nata, head of javelin—i.e. fire-thing-of, javelin-thing-of. Cf. also nata pairi given by v. d. Sande for “skin,” with Mimika pīgīri, skin, which suggests that nata pairi means skin of something.
b. The adjective follows the noun. Utanata warari napetike, water big, river.
c. A noun in the genitive relation precedes its substantive. Mimika bau mame, leg’s eye, ankle; iwau makarĕ, belly’s band. Angadi mahare hehe, finger nail; māū hehe, toe nail; mirimoi ipa, nose hole, nostril; ihani ipa, hole in ear lobe; ămore eme, bow’s rattan, bowstring.
d. The subject precedes the verb. Angadi jăū hinau-mara, sun rises (?), morning; jăū emapojemia, sun sets (?), evening.
e. The object also precedes the verb. Angadi ihani aimeri, ear pierce; mirimoi aimeri, nose pierce.
These five points indicate a Papuan structure of the languages.
6. Comparison with Merauke and the Languages of British New Guinea West of the Fly River.
The Papuan languages usually show so few agreements in vocabulary that the likeness of words, unless frequent, cannot be held to establish relationship. In the comparative vocabulary, words and numerals are added from the languages on British Territory.[39] These show a few likenesses, which may, however, be accidental.
Arm. Mimika to, Dungerwab tond, Dabu tang, Miriam tag, Kiwai tu
Arrow. Mimika tiari, Kiwai tere.
Arrow barb. Mimika imari, Kiwai were.
Basket. Mimika temone, Kunini diba, Jibu dimba, Mimika eta, Kiwai sito, Mowata hito.
Bird. Mimika pateru, Bugi pa (?), Dabu papa (?).
Earth. Mimika tiri, Bangu tiritari.
Eat. Mimika namuka, Bangu jamukwa.
Elbow. Mimika to-mame, Mowata tu-pape.
Fire. Mimika uta, Miriam ur.
Forehead. Mimika metar(re), Bangu mithago, Miriam mat.
Head. Mimika kapane, Bangu kambu.
Iron. Mimika tau, Dungerwab tod.
Nose. Mimika birim, Dabu murung, Saibai, Miriam pit.
Pig. Mimika ap, Meranke sapi.
Rat. Mimika kemako, Bugi makata, Saibai makas, Miriam mokeis.
Shore. Mimika tiri, Dungerwab tredre.
Sleep. Mimika ete, Bangu ete-betha, Dungerwab eda-bel, Miriam ut-eid.
Tree. Mimika uti, Kiwai ota.