Musom language

Musom
Misatik
Region	Markham Valley, New Guinea
Native speakers	200 (2000)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Western Oceanic Huon Gulf Markham Lower Markham Busu Musom
Language codes
ISO 639-3	msu
Glottolog	muso1238
ELP	Musom
Musom is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
Coordinates: 6°41′01″S 147°06′52″E / 6.683574°S 147.11452°E / -6.683574; 147.11452 (Musom)

Musom is an Austronesian language spoken in the single village of Musom (6°41′01″S 147°06′52″E / 6.683574°S 147.11452°E / -6.683574; 147.11452 (Musom)) in Labuta Rural LLG, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.^[2] The other name for Musom is Misatik, given by the older generations because this was the name of the village that the ancestors settled on.^[3] Musom is currently an endangered language because native Musom speakers are continuing to marry other language speakers.^[3] Musom is also endangered because of its change in grammar and vocabulary due to its bi- and multilingualism.^[3] In the Musom village, other languages that Musom speakers may speak are Aribwuang and Duwet.^[3] In the Gwabadik village, because of intermarriages other languages that Musom speakers may speak are Nabak and Mesem.^[3]

In Musom, voiceless, voiced and prenasalised voice are the only series of stops when it comes to consonants.^[3] For Musom consonants, if there is a prenasalised voice stop, the vowel is then seen after it and is can be as nasal only.^[3] Allophones are contained in the prenasalised voiced affricated alveolar stop /ndz/ which occurs initially, medially, and then [nts] occurs finally.^[3]

For the consonants, /w, kw, gw/ they do not occur initially, medially and finally, but all other consonants do.^[3] Other consonants that do not occur finally are /d, g, ndz/.^[3] When the word ends in with a consonant and the next word also begins with a consonant, a prothetic a is put in between the words.^[3] For the consonant /r/, it contains two allophones [r] and [l], but only in free variation.^[3]

When Musom is compared to Yabim, there are claims that infer that Musom may have a 7-vowel system.^[3]

Musom language has a syllable structure of (C) V (C) (V) (C).^[3]

In Musom language, if a speaker were to talk fast, /u/ could be heard as [i].^[3] Some examples that could be heard are:^[3]

• num > [nim] drink
• wutsin . [witsin] inside

If a subject pronoun prefix that contains a vowel, comes before the root that is within a vowel (verb root), the verb root changes according to what came before it.^[3] Some examples are:^[3]

• mbidi stand up
  a-mbidi 1st person subject > u-mbudi 2nd person subject

i-mbidi 3rd person subject

• mbitsi cook on fire

a-mbitsi 1st person subject > u-mbutsi 2nd person subject

i-imbitsi 3rd person subject

Words that contain multiple syllables, those syllables could be dropped or centralized.^[3] A vowel turns into schwa [ə] in the unstressed syllable.^[3] Here is an example:^[3]

• 'apun completive particle > ['apm] ~ ['apəm]

Focal pronouns are able to be used as subjects and objects of verbs.^[3] Prepositions only occur with objects of verbs.^[3] Focal pronouns are also found in a possessive phrase.^[3] For 1st singular, short form only occurs when wir is switched for u or ur.^[3]

Interrogative pronouns can be seen with who and what.^[3] In Musom, who and what can be used with two different pronouns.^[3] Those two different pronouns are:^[3]

• asa "who"
• sira "what"

Some examples of these two pronouns are:^[3]

• in asa? Who is he?
  Rak anu sira? What is that there?

Asa ngaing gi-its ingg? Who hit you? (lit. Which man hit you?)

Both reflexive and emphatic pronouns both mean Pronoun + self.^[3] This table shows the reflexive and emphatic pronouns:^[3]

The first type of possession in Musom has inalienable nouns.^[3] Some examples of these inalienable nouns are kin terms, body parts, name, namesake, friend or trade partner.^[3]

The second type of possession in Musom is Alienable possession.^[3] The second type of possession holds all the nouns that are not in the first type.^[3] The possessive phrase can contain noun or pronoun possession, and prothetic a.^[3] Then there is a noun that is not attributed to the possessive markers which is the noun possessed.^[3] Here are some examples:^[3]

• wir a om my house

ingg a mimin your betelnut

in a tahung his smoke

is a kom/kom a is en their dog

In the Musom language, sentences can be formed by using conjunctions such as da 'and, but' and ma 'or'.^[3] One example using da is:^[3]

• Tse g-a-k g-a-bitsi ung da g-a-hur

weEXC P-SPP1-go P-SPP1-cook breadfruit and P-SPP1-fish

We cooked breadfruit and fished (for crayfish) in the river.

One example using ma is:^[3]

• Ingg ng-u-ak Madang ma ingg ng-u-ak

youSG IRR-SPP2-go Madang or youSG IRR-SPP2-go

You can go to Madang or you can go to Ramu.

The Musom language when using conditional sentences can be found in the form of:^[3]

da + Subject 1 + ng-SPP-V da + Subject 2 bo-ng-SPP-V

An example using a conditional sentence is:^[3]

• Da amik ng-i-ruk wir bo-ng-a-bum omb.

and rain IRR-SPP3-fall I FUT-IRR-SPP1-stay village

If it rains I will stay in the village

• Wurm, S.A. editor. Some Endangered Languages of Papua New Guinea: Kaki Ae, Musom, and Aribwatsa. D-89, vi + 183 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1997.