The Mombum languages, also known as the Komolom or Muli Strait languages, are a pair of Trans–New Guinea languages, Mombum (Komolom) and Koneraw, spoken on Komolom Island just off Yos Sudarso Island, and on the southern coast of Yos Sudarso Island, respectively, on the southern coast of New Guinea. Komolom Island is at the southern end of the Muli Strait.New Guinea World, Muli Strait
History of classification Mombum was first classified as a branch isolate of the Central and South New Guinea languages in Stephen Wurm's 1975 expansion for Trans–New Guinea, a position tentatively maintained by Malcolm Ross, though he cannot tell if the similarities are shared innovations or retentions from proto-TNG. Usher instead links them to the Asmat languages. Koneraw is clearly related to Mombum, but was overlooked by early classifications. Along with the Kolopom languages, they are the languages spoken on Yos Sudarso Island (Kolopom Island).
Noting insufficient evidence, Pawley and Hammarström (2018), who refer to the languages as the Komolom branch, tentatively leave it as unclassified rather than as part of Trans-New Guinea.
Pronouns Pronouns are: {| ! !!sg!!pl |- !1 |*nu||*nu-mu, *ni |- !2 |*yu||*yu-mu |- !3 |*eu
Vocabulary comparison The following basic vocabulary words are from McElhanon & Voorhoeve (1970)McElhanon, K.A. and Voorhoeve, C.L. The Trans-New Guinea Phylum: Explorations in deep-level genetic relationships. B-16, vi + 112 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1970. and Voorhoeve (1975),Voorhoeve, C.L. Languages of Irian Jaya: Checklist. Preliminary classification, language maps, wordlists. B-31, iv + 133 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1975. as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.
The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. wonderam, wondrum for “head”) or not (e.g. iŋar, itöx for “bone”).
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! gloss !! Koneraw !! Mombum |- ! head | wonderam || wondrum |- ! hair | cin || xu-sin |- ! eye | dyan || musax-nam |- ! tooth | cire || zix |- ! leg | kan || kaŋk |- ! louse | am || am |- ! dog | ubui || ipwi |- ! pig | u || u |- ! bird | baŋa || konji |- ! egg | || yausil |- ! blood | iri || iri |- ! bone | iŋar || itöx |- ! skin | par || par |- ! tree | to || tu |- ! man | nam || nam |- ! sun | dzuwo || zawa |- ! water | mui || mwe |- ! fire | war || wad |- ! stone | mate || mete |- ! name | ur || ur |- ! eat | gim-nugu || nuku- |- ! one | tenamotere || te |- ! two | kuinam || kumb
References
External links Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, Proto–Muli Strait