| Saweru | |
|---|---|
| Sarwar Use | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Cenderawasih Bay |
Native speakers | (300 cited 1991) [1] |
West Papuan ?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 |
swr |
| Glottolog |
sawe1240 |
Saweru is a Papuan language closely related to Yawa of central Yapen Island in Geelvink (Cenderawasih) Bay, Indonesia, of which it is sometimes considered a dialect. It is spoken on Serui Island just offshore.
Unlike Yawa, Saweru lacks an inclusive-exclusive distinction for the first person plural pronoun. Saweru has amai 'we', while Yawa has ream 'we (exclusive)' and wam 'we (inclusive)'. [2]: 553
References
- ^ Saweru at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Foley, William A. (2018). "The languages of Northwest New Guinea". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 433–568. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
Further reading
- Donohue, Mark n.d. Saweru phonology and orthographic guide. Unpublished ms, Department of Linguistics, The University of Sydney.
- Donohue, Mark n.d. The variable foot in Saweru. Unpublished ms, Department of Linguistics, The National University of Singapore.
- Ayeri, Alfons and Mark Donohue. n.d. Yafan (Saweru) Word List. Unpublished ms, University of Sydney.