Nabak (also known as Wain) is a Papuan language spoken by around 16,000 people in the Morobe Province located in the western Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. Nabak follows the SOV typology. It uses Latin script in its written form.
Classification and language status Nabak is sub-grouped into the Trans-New Guinea, Finisterre-Huon, Western, Huon language family. The Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGDIS) has the Nabak level 5. A level 5 language is considered as “developing”, meaning that Nabak is thriving but a standardized form is not widespread. Level 1 speakers, or native speakers, on average are about 50 to 75 percent fluent in Nabak. The language is spread throughout approximately 30 settlements, totaling 52 villages in the Busu river east headwaters.
Phonology
Consonants LabialAlveolarPalatalLabiovelarVelarStopsp bt dkʷ ɡʷk ɡNasalsmnŋFricativess zLateralǀGlidejw Allophones of /kʷ, ɡʷ/ can be heard as [k͡p, ɡ͡b]. Allophones of sounds /s, z, l, w/ can be heard as [t͡s, d͡z, ɾ, β].
Vowels FrontCentralBackHighiuMideoLowaɒ Written form: â, a, e, i, o, u
Words
Nouns Nouns can be pluralized and/or possessed. If a noun is pluralized, then the possessive noun indicator must also be present. Nouns that are body-parts are typically in the possessive form, unless making an objective statement.
Examples Source:
bet = a hand bedi = your hand zikat = an eye = their (dual) eyes kwaŋ = grass kwaŋaŋ = his grass tunne = my rivers
The structure of nouns Stem(optional) possessive(optional -ne PL
Possessive suffixes SingularDualPluralFirst-n ~ -m ~ -ŋ-nit ~ -it-n ~ -m ~ -ŋSecondndi ~ di-ŋit ~ -it-ŋin ~ -inThirdŋaŋ ~ -maŋ ~ -naŋ -ŋit ~ -it-ŋin ~ -in
Pronouns There are many pronouns in the Nabak language. Formal genitive pronouns are not as widespread there is no direct translation to English third-person pronouns. Formal genitive pronouns only exists in the interrogative form.
First person pronouns SingularDualPluralSubject/ObjectneŋnitninEmphaticnennilitninRefelxivenenakndaknnakGenitivenâgâtnigatniŋalenBenefactivenenaŋgalenndaŋgalennnaŋgalenEmphatic Genitiveneŋonilo/nitloninoAssociativenemaknibmaknimakComitativeneŋmaknitmakninmak
Adjectives Adjectives and nouns are part of the same word class in the Nabak Language. This category only serves to illustrate nouns that can modify a head noun. Though, a dilemma occurs because these modifier nouns can also act as the head nouns that they are modifying. It is important to identify when describing ‘adjectives’ in Nabak, what is being described are words that are part of the noun class.
Examples Source:
Quality:
dolak-ŋaŋ = good sambubu-ŋaŋ = rotten
Size:
tembe = big isik-ŋaŋ = little
Dimensions:
teep-maŋ = tall/long Da-naŋ = short
Color
ŋa-maŋ = red sat-naŋ = white
Weight
nuk-ŋaŋ = heavy Imbela-ŋaŋ = light
Numbers
kwep = one zut = two tuk = three
(*Note that phrases represent higher numbers*)
Verbs Verbs consists of an optional prefix, with a verb stem, then with an optional first-order aspect suffix.
There are medial verbs and final verbs. Final verbs are located at the end of a sentence. Medial verbs can be located anywhere but at the end of a sentence.
Structure of medial and final verbs AspectStemAspecttat-SCONinstransitive stem-maCONTma-CONTtransitive stemneDUR
Interrogatives Polar interrogatives are made from declarative statements simply by changing the vocal intonation so that there is a higher pitch at the end of a sentence.
Non-polar interrogatives are made by using the words equivalent to “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, etc.
kuleki, kwilekiwhat?kulekietkuleki-yetwhy?kwiaŋkwi-aŋwho?kwiwhom?kwialenkwi-yet-enwhose?dewhere?dende-enwhere?denende-en-ento where?desedgadnaŋde-set-gat-naŋfrom where?desetde-setwhich way?deyetde-yetwhich?zugŋanzuk-ŋanwhen?ziboŋzi-boŋlike which?zigokzi-gokhow?
Emotion and interrogatives Interrogatives can also be used to introduce emotion into a story. This is done by the storyteller making the participant in a story ask a question to themselves, letting the listeners of the story what emotion they are dealing with.
References