Kambot language

{{Short description|Keram language spoken in Papua New Guinea}} {{distinguish|Apma language}} {{Infobox language |name=Kambot |nativename=Ap Ma |states=Papua New Guinea |region=East Sepik Province |speakers=10,000 |date=2010 |ref=e18 |familycolor=Papuan |fam1=Ramu–Keram |fam2=Keram |fam3=East Keram |iso3=kbx |glotto=apma1241 |glottorefname=Ap Ma |dia1=Kambaramba }}

'''Kambot''' {{a.k.a.}} '''Ap Ma''' (Ap Ma Botin, Botin, also ''Karaube''), is a Keram language of Papua New Guinea. Compared to its nearest relative, Ambakich, Kambot drops the first segment from polysyllabic words.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/keram-and-ramu-rivers/keram-river/east-keram-river|title=East Keram River - newguineaworld}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Kambot is spoken in Kambot village ({{coord|-4.281558|144.139582|type:city_region:PG|name=Kambot Comm/School}}), Keram Rural LLG, East Sepik Province.<ref name="Ethnologue22-PNG">{{cite web |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/PG/languages |title=Papua New Guinea languages |work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=22nd |editor1-last=Eberhard |editor1-first=David M. |editor2-last=Simons |editor2-first=Gary F. |editor3-last=Fennig |editor3-first=Charles D. |date=2019 |location=Dallas |publisher=SIL International}}</ref><ref name="UN-PNG">{{cite web |url=https://data.humdata.org/dataset/village-coordinates-lookup |title=Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup |author=United Nations in Papua New Guinea |work=Humanitarian Data Exchange |version=1.31.9 |date=2018}}</ref>

==Classification== Kambot was assigned to the Grass family within Ramu by Laycock and Z'graggen (1975). Foley (2005) finds the data does not support this assignment, but re-adds them to the Grass family in 2018.<ref name="Foley-Sepik">{{cite book |last=Foley |first=William A. |author-link=William A. Foley |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=197–432 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}</ref> Foley and Ross (2005) agree that the language belongs to the Ramu – Lower Sepik family.<ref name=PP>Andrew Pawley, 2005, ''Papuan pasts'', p 56.</ref> Usher restores it to the Ramu family, but closer to the Mongol–Langam languages.

==Phonology== Ap Ma consonants are:<ref name="Foley-Sepik"/>

:{| {{table}} | p || t || || k |- | ᵐb || ⁿd || ᶮʤ || ᵑg |- | m || n || ɲ || ŋ |- | || s || || |- | || r ~ l || || |- | w || || j || |}

==Pronouns== Foley (1986) proposed that Kambot had borrowed its pronouns from the Iatmul language of the Sepik family (Ndu languages). His suggestion was that ''nyɨ'' 'I' (1sg), ''wɨn'' 'thou' (2sg), and ''nun'' 'ye' (2pl) are taken from Iatmul ''nyɨn'' 'thou', ''wɨn'' 'I', and ''nɨn'' 'we', with a crossover of person. That is, the Iatmul may have called the Kambot ''nyɨn'' "you", and they then used that pronoun for themselves, resulting in it meaning "I". However, Ross (2005) and Pawley (2005) show that the pronoun set has not been borrowed. The Kambot pronouns are indigenous, as they have apparent cognates in Ramu languages. Similarly, the Iatmul pronouns have not been borrowed from Kambot, as they have cognates in other Ndu languages.<ref name=PP/>

{|class=wikitable |+Comparison of Kambot PNs with Ramu languages |- !PN!!Kambot!!Kambaramba!!Banaro!!Langam!!Arafundi |- !1sg |nyɨ ||ni ||(uŋɡu) ||ñi ||ñiŋ |- !2sg |wɨn ||wɨ ||u ||wo ||(nan) |- !2pl |nun ||(wɨni) ||nu ||(wuni) ||nuŋ |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

* {{cite book | first = William A. | last = Foley | author-link = William A. Foley | year = 1986 | title = The Papuan Languages of New Guinea | location = Cambridge | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 0-521-28621-2 | oclc = 13004531 }} * {{cite book | last = Foley | first = William A. | author-link = William A. Foley | year = 2005 | chapter = Linguistic prehistory in the Sepik–Ramu basin | editor = Andrew Pawley | editor-link = Andrew Pawley |editor2=Robert Attenborough |editor3=Robin Hide |editor4=Jack Golson| title = Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples | location = Canberra | publisher = Pacific Linguistics | isbn = 0858835622 | oclc = 67292782 }} * {{cite book | editor = Pawley, Andrew | editor-link = Andrew Pawley |editor2=Robert Attenborough |editor3=Robin Hide |editor4=Jack Golson| year = 2005 | title = Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples | location = Canberra | publisher = Pacific Linguistics | isbn = 0-85883-562-2 | oclc = 67292782 }} * {{Malcolm Ross Pronouns}}

Category:Keram languages Category:Languages of East Sepik Province Category:Language isolates of New Guinea