{{Short description|Language}} {{Infobox language |name=Kairiru |region=East Sepik Province, northern Papua New Guinea |speakers=3,200 |date=2000 census |ref=e18 |familycolor=Austronesian |fam2=Malayo-Polynesian |fam3=Oceanic |fam4=Western Oceanic |fam5=Schouten |fam6=Kairiru–Manam |fam7=Kairiru |iso3=kxa |glotto=kair1263 |glottorefname=Kairiru }}
'''Kairiru''' is one of three Kairiru languages spoken mainly on Kairiru and Mushu islands and in several coastal villages on the mainland between Cape Karawop and Cape Samein near Wewak in East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.
== Phonology ==
=== Consonants === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan="2" | !Bilabial ! colspan="2" |Alveolar !Post-<br>alveolar !Velar !Back-<br>velar |- ! colspan="2" |Plosive |b | colspan="2" |t | |k |k̠ |- ! colspan="2" |Affricate | | colspan="2" | |tʃ | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Fricative !<small>voiceless</small> |ɸ | colspan="2" |s |(ʃ) | | |- !<small>voiced</small> |β | colspan="2" | | | | |- ! colspan="2" |Nasal |m | colspan="2" |n |ɲ |ŋ | |- ! colspan="2" |Lateral | | colspan="2" |l | | | |- ! colspan="2" |Rhotic | |ɾ |r |(ɻ) | | |- ! colspan="2" |Approximant |w | colspan="2" | |j | | |}
*The tap /ɾ/ varies freely between [ɾ] or a retroflex [ɻ]. *[ʃ] is heard as an allophone of /tʃ/ among young speakers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Wivell |first=Richard |title=Kairiru grammar |publisher=University of Auckland |year=1981}}</ref> */b/ is heard as [p] in word-final position. */k/ may vary between a voiced [ɡ] or [k] when in between a high and non-high vowel.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ross |first=Malcolm |title=Kairiru |publisher=Routledge: London and New York |year=2002 |location=In John Lynch and Malcolm Ross and Terry Crowley (eds.), The Oceanic Languages |pages=204–215}}</ref> *The back-velar /k̠/ may also be heard freely as uvular [q], and may vary between a stop or fricatives [k̠], [x̠] or voiced [ɡ̠], [ɣ̠] when preceded and followed by /a/ or /o/.<ref name=":1" />
=== Vowels === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! !Front !Central !Back |- !High |i | |u |- !Mid |e |(ə) |o |- !Low | |a | |}
* Sounds /i, u, e, o/ may have lax allophones as [ɪ, ʊ, ɛ, ɔ] in closed syllables. * Vowels /e, o/ may have a lax allophone of [ə] when following other vowels. * /a/ may be heard as [æ] when preceding a velar nasal /ŋ/ in free variation with [a].<ref name=":0" />
==Morphology==
===Pronouns and person markers=== One remarkable feature of the pronoun system of Kairiru is that it appears to have lost the distinction between first-person inclusive and exclusive pronouns throughout its affix paradigms, but then recreated inclusive forms in its independent pronouns by combining first-person and second-person forms along the lines of Tok Pisin {{lang|tpi|yumi}} (< {{lang|tpi|yu}} + {{lang|tpi|mi}}). The inclusive-exclusive distinction is almost universal among Austronesian languages but generally lacking in Papuan languages.
====Free pronouns==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" ! Person ! Singular ! Plural ! Dual |- ! 1st person inclusive | | {{lang|kxa|taqam}} | {{lang|kxa|tuyieq}} |- ! 1st person exclusive | {{lang|kxa|kyau}} | {{lang|kxa|qait}} | {{lang|kxa|tu}} |- ! 2nd person | {{lang|kxa|yieq}} | {{lang|kxa|qam}} | {{lang|kxa|qum}} |- ! 3rd person | {{lang|kxa|ei}} | {{lang|kxa|rri}} | {{lang|kxa|rru}} |- |}
====Genitive pronouns==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" ! Person ! Singular ! Plural ! Dual |- ! 1st person inclusive | | {{lang|kxa|taqait}} | {{lang|kxa|taqatu}} |- ! 1st person exclusive | {{lang|kxa|wokyau}} | {{lang|kxa|tamoit}} | {{lang|kxa|taqatu}} |- ! 2nd person | {{lang|kxa|yieqayieq}} | {{lang|kxa|maqam}} | {{lang|kxa|moqum}} |- ! 3rd person | {{lang|kxa|yaqai}} | {{lang|kxa|rraqarri}} | {{lang|kxa|rraqarru}} |- |}
====Possessive suffixes on inalienable nouns==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" ! Person ! Singular ! Plural ! Dual |- ! 1st person inclusive | | {{lang|kxa|-qait}} | {{lang|kxa|-tu}} |- ! 1st person exclusive | {{lang|kxa|-k}} | {{lang|kxa|-qait}} | {{lang|kxa|-tu}} |- ! 2nd person | {{lang|kxa|-m}} | {{lang|kxa|-qam}} | {{lang|kxa|-qum}} |- ! 3rd person | {{lang|kxa|-ny}} | {{lang|kxa|-rri}} | {{lang|kxa|-rru}} |- |}
====Subject prefixes on verbs==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" ! Person ! Singular ! Plural ! Dual |- ! 1st person inclusive | | {{lang|kxa|ta-}} | {{lang|kxa|ti-}} |- ! 1st person exclusive | {{lang|kxa|wu-}} | {{lang|kxa|ta-}} | {{lang|kxa|ti-}} |- ! 2nd person | {{lang|kxa|qo-}} | {{lang|kxa|ka-}} | {{lang|kxa|qu-}} |- ! 3rd person | {{lang|kxa|a-}} | {{lang|kxa|rra-}} | {{lang|kxa|rri-}} |- |}
====Object suffixes on verbs==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" ! Person ! Singular ! Plural ! Dual |- ! 1st person inclusive | | {{lang|kxa|-qait}} | {{lang|kxa|-tu}} |- ! 1st person exclusive | {{lang|kxa|-(ky)au}} | {{lang|kxa|-qait}} | {{lang|kxa|-tu}} |- ! 2nd person | {{lang|kxa|-(y)ieq}} | {{lang|kxa|-qam}} | {{lang|kxa|-qum}} |- ! 3rd person | {{lang|kxa|-i}}/-Ø | {{lang|kxa|-rri}}/-Ø | {{lang|kxa|-rru}} |- |}
==References== {{reflist}} * Wivell, Richard (1981). Kairiru grammar. M.A. thesis, University of Auckland.
==External links== * [http://www-01.sil.org/pacific/png/pubs/928474543558/Kairiru_Grammar.pdf Kairiru Grammar]
{{North New Guinea languages}} {{Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages}} {{Languages of Papua New Guinea}}
Category:Languages of Papua New Guinea Category:Schouten languages