Structure dataset 69: Yimas-Arafundi Pidgin

This language is described more fully in survey chapter 69.

Yimas-Arafundi Pidgin is a trade language used between men of certain clans in Yimas village and the Arafundi speaking village of Auwim in their trade interactions up until its largely falling out of use in the 1950s. Its function has been replaced by Tok Pisin and it is now extremely moribund or more likely extinct. The default lect described here is that remembered by men in their 50s from both villages in the mid 1980s. All data was collected in situ in the mid 1980s by working directly with the few men who could still remember the language by both direct elicitation and the collection of a few narrative texts.

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No. Feature Value Details Source
No. Feature Value Details Source

Consonants

Pulmonic Consonants
Place → Labial Coronal Dorsal Laryngeal
↓ Manner Bilabial Labio­dental Linguo­labial Dental Alveolar Palato-
alveolar
Retroflex Alveolo-
palatal
Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal
/ Epiglottal
Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Stop p b t d k g
Sibilant affricate
Non-sibilant affricate
Sibilant fricative s
Non-sibilant fricative
Approximant j
Flap or tap ɾ
Trill
Lateral affricate
Lateral fricative
Lateral approximant
Lateral flap
Implosive

Vowels

Front Near-front Central Near-back Back Close Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open ihigh front unrounded vowel uhigh back rounded vowel əmid central unrounded vowel alow central unrounded vowel
Vowels

Special segments

Other segments
 w  voiced labial-velar glide

Legend

       Exists (as a major allophone)
       Exists only as a minor allophone
       Exists only in loanwords
No. Feature Value Details Source