Hatam language

Hatam (also spelled Hattam, Atam) is a divergent language spoken on the island of New Guinea, specifically in the Indonesian province of West Papua.

Classification

Apart from Mansim (Borai), formerly listed as a dialect, Hatam is not closely related to any other language, and though Ross (2005) tentatively assigned it to the West Papuan languages, based on similarities in pronouns, Ethnologue and Glottolog list it as a language isolate^[1] or small independent family.^[2]

Distribution

Hatam is spoken on the island of New Guinea in the following regencies in the Indonesian province of West Papua:^[3]

• Pegunungan Arfak Regency: Menyambouw District, Anggi District, Anggi Dida District, Catubouw District, and Hingk District
• Manokwari Regency: Manokwari Barat District, Manokwari Selatan District, Tanah Rubuh District, Warmare District, Prafi District
• Manokwari Selatan Regency: Oransbari District (Masabui 1 and Masabui 2 villages) and Ransiki District (Sabri village)

Phonology

The phonology of the Hatam language is listed below. In free form, both consonant and vowel phonemes can range to different sounds.^[4]

References

1. ^ e25
2. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forke, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (eds.) (2020). "Hatam". Glottolog 4.3
3. ^ Ronsumbre, Adolof (2020). Ensiklopedia Suku Bangsa di Provinsi Papua Barat. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kepel Press. ISBN 978-602-356-318-0.
4. ^ (Reesink 1999, pp. 9–13)

Further reading

• Reesink, Ger P. (1999). A Grammar of Hatam: Bird's Head Peninsula, Irian Jaya. Pacific Linguistics: Series C, 146. Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University. hdl:1885/146620. ISBN 978-0-85883-497-2.