Lower Sepik languages


The Lower Sepik a.k.a. Nor–Pondo languages are a small language family of East Sepik Province in northern Papua New Guinea. They were identified as a family by K Laumann in 1951 under the name Nor–Pondo, and included in Donald Laycock's now-defunct 1973 Sepik–Ramu family.

Classification

The original conception of the family, under the name Nor–Pondo, is as follows:
Malcolm Ross broke up the Nor branch because Murik does not share the characteristic s of the first- and second-person pronouns of Kopar and the Pondo languages, so the latter may form a group: Murik vs Kopar–Pondo. Ross classified Lower Sepik as one branch of a Ramu–Lower Sepik language family.
Foley tentatively proposes that Chambri and Angoram may be primary branches: Nor, Chambari, Karawari–Yimas, Angoram. Usher, following Foley, keeps Nor together and breaks up Pondo. Neither accept the connection to Ramu.

Foley (2018) and Usher (2020)

and Usher agree on the following classification.
;Lower Sepik family
Foley notes that Angoram appears to be closer to Murik–Kopar, and Chambri to Karawari–Yimas, but Foley leaves them as separate branches pending further evidence.

Phonology

Except for Yimas-Karawari, Lower Sepik languages typically have the following six-vowel system.
Yimas-Karawari has only four vowels.

Proto-language

Pronouns

The pronouns reconstructed for the proto-language are,
;Proto–Lower Sepik
;Proto-Nor–Pondo

Lexicon

A phonological reconstruction of proto-Lower Sepik has been proposed by Foley. Foley's lexical reconstructions are provided below.
;Proto-Lower Sepik reconstructions by Foley
For comparisons with the language isolate Tayap, see Tayap language#Classification.

Footnotes