Berik | |
---|---|
Native to | Indonesia |
Region | Tor Atas district, Sarmi Regency |
Native speakers | (1,200 cited 1994) [1] |
Foja Range (Tor–Kwerba)
| |
Latin | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
bkl |
Glottolog |
beri1254 |
Berik is a Papuan language spoken in eastern Papua. Speakers are located in four village groups on the Tor River towards the northern coast of Indonesian-controlled Irian Jaya. [2]
US linguist John McWhorter cited Berik as an example of a language which puts concepts "together in ways more fascinatingly different from English than most of us are aware". [3] Illustrating this, in the phrase Kitobana (meaning "[he] gives three large objects to a male in the sunlight"), affixes indicating time of day, object number, object size, and gender of recipient are added to the verb. [3] [4] [5]
In Tor Atas District, Berik is spoken in Beu, Bora Bora, Dangken, Doronta, Kondirjan, Safrontani, Sewan, Somanente, Taminambor, Tenwer, Togonfo, and Waf villages. [1]
Labial | Alveolar | (
Alveolo-) palatal |
Velar | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m [ m] | n [ n] | ng [ ŋ] | ||
Plosive & affricate |
voiceless | p [ p] | t [ t] | k [ k] | |
voiced | b [ b] | d [ d] | j [ d͡ʑ] | g [ ɡ] | |
Fricative | f [ f] | s [ s] | |||
Approximant | l [ l] | y [ j] | w [ w] | ||
Tap | r [ ɾ] |
Berik has the common six vowel system (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/ plus /ə/). [6]
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i [ i] | u [ u] | |
Mid | e [ e] | ə [ ə] | o [ o] |
Open | a [ a] |