| Altname | Asaba |
|---|---|
| States | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Sandaun Province |
| Speakers | 140 |
| Date | 2000 |
| Ref | e18 |
| Familycolor | Papuan |
| Fam 1 | Sepik |
| Fam 2 | Leonhard Schultze |
| Fam 3 | Papi–Asaba |
| Iso 3 | seo |
| Glotto | suar1238 |
| Glottorefname | Asabano |
Suarmin, or Asaba, is a Sepik language spoken in Sandaun Province, Papua-New Guinea. Alternative names are Asabano, Duranmin.
Glottolog leaves it unclassified.
Pronouns
Pronouns are:[1]
- {|
! !! sg !! du !! pl |- ! 1incl | || adi || abe |- ! 1excl | a || nadi || nesine |- ! 2 | abo || abodua || apa |- ! 3 | yo || atadua || ata |}
Noun classes
In Asaba, noun class affixes are suffixed to nouns. There are five noun classes. Examples:[1]
- {|
! class !! singular (ex.) !! plural (ex.) !! gloss (ex.) |- | class 1 || nu-bu || nu-le || house(s) |- | class 2 || mena-du || mena-no || pig(s) |- | class 3 || kabia-si || kabia-le || stone(s) |- | class 4 || moko-ni || moko-le || fork(s) |- | class 5 || nomo-so || nomo-l || stone adze(s) |}
Class 1 is the default noun class.
Modifying adjectives agree with head nouns in class:[1]
References
- ^ Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. Vol. 4. The World of Linguistics. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.