Skou (Sekol, Sekou, Sko, Skouw, Skow, Sukou), or Tumawo (Te Mawo), is a Papuan language of Indonesia.
Distribution
Skou is spoken in three villages of Muara Tami District, Jayapura Regency. The villages are:[2]
- Skou Yambe (Skou name: Te Tángpe), the westernmost and most populous Skou village
- Skou Mabo (Skou name: Te Máwo), located between Skou Yambe and Skou Sai villages
- Skou Sai (Skou name: Te Bapúbi), the easternmost and least populous Skou village
Phonology
Consonants
The Skou consonants are:[3]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||||
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | ||
| voiced | b | ɟ~ɡʲ | ||||
| Fricative | f | h | ||||
| Liquid | lateral | l | ||||
| rhotic | r | |||||
| Semivowel | w | j | ||||
Vowels
Vowels can be nasalized, except for /ɨ/ and /u/.[3]
| Front | Central | Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| oral | nasal | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | |
| Close | i | ĩ | ɨ | u | ||
| Mid | e | ẽ | ə | ə̃ | o | õ |
| Open | a | ã | ||||
Tone
Skou contrasts three different tones in monosyllables: high, low and falling, which can be combined with nasality for a six-way contrast.[2]
| Pitch | Oral | Nasal |
|---|---|---|
| high [˥] | ta
'grass' |
tã
'bird' |
| low [˨] | ta
'hair' |
tã
'canoe' |
| falling [˥˩] | ta
'arrow' |
tã
'machete' |
Tone in Skou is affiliated with each word, rather than with each syllable.
In addition to lexical differences in tone, tone has grammatical functions. [2]
For instance, tense in Skou is differentiated by tone.
| non-past tense forms | ||
|---|---|---|
| [ni hu]
falling-falling 'I sew' |
[ni ha]
falling-high 'I stand' |
[ni hũ]
falling-low 'I drink' |
| past tense forms | ||
| [ni hu]
falling-low 'I sewed' |
[ni ha]
falling-low 'I stood' |
[ni hũ]
falling-low 'I drank' |
Pronouns
Skou differentiates three types of pronouns: free pronouns, genitive pronouns and dative pronouns. [2]
| Free Pronouns | Genitive Pronouns | Dative Pronouns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1SG | [ni˥˩] | [ni˥˩] | [nɛ˨] |
| 1PL | [nɛ˨] | [nɛ˥˩] | [nɛ˨] |
| 2SG | [mɛ˥˩] | [mɛ˥˩] | [mɛ˨] |
| 2PL | [ɛ˨] | [ɛ˥˩] | [ɛ˨] |
| 3SG.NF | [kɛ˨] | [kɛ˥] | [kɛ˨] |
| 3SG.F | [pɛ˨] | [pɛ˥˩] | [pɛ˨] |
| 3PL | [tɛ˨] | [tɛ˥˩] | [tɛ˨] |
References
- ^ Skou at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d Donohue, Mark. 2004. A Grammar of the Skou language of New Guinea. Singapore: National University of Singapore. Available at [1].
- ^ a b Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". 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. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
- Donohue, Mark. 2004. A Grammar of the Skou language of New Guinea. Singapore: National University of Singapore. Available at [2].
This page was last edited on 12 March 2023, at 22:48