Oksapmin language


Oksapmin is a Trans–New Guinea language spoken in Oksapmin Rural LLG, Telefomin District, Sandaun, Papua New Guinea.
The two principal dialects are distinct enough to cause some problems with mutually intelligibility.
Oksapmin has dyadic kinship terms and a body-part counting system that goes up to 27.

Classification

Oksapmin has been influenced by the Mountain Ok languages, and the similarities with those languages were attributed to borrowing in the classifications of both Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross, where Oksapmin was placed as an independent branch of Trans–New Guinea. Loughnane and Loughnane and Fedden conclude that it is related to the Ok languages, though those languages share innovative features not found in Oksapmin. Usher finds Oksapmin is not related to the Ok languages specifically, though it is related at some level to the southwestern branches of Trans–New Guinea.

Phonology

Vowels

There are seven monophthongs,, and one diphthong,.

Consonants

Tone

Oksapmin contrasts two tones: high and low.