Sikaritai language explained

Sikaritai
Also Known As:Tori Aikwakai
States:Indonesia
Region:Sikari village in Rafaer District, Mamberamo Raya Regency, Papua
Speakers:2,000
Date:2015
Ref:e25
Familycolor:Papuan
Fam1:Lakes Plain
Fam2:Central
Iso3:tty
Glotto:sika1263
Glottorefname:Sikaritai

Sikaritai (Sikwari) is a Lakes Plain language of Papua, Indonesia. It is named after Sikari village in Rafaer District, Mamberamo Raya Regency. Alternate names are Aikwakai, Araikurioko, Ati, Tori, Tori Aikwakai.

It is spoken in Haya, Iri, and Sikari villages.

Sikaritai, Obokuitai, and Eritai constitute a dialect cluster.

Phonology

The following discussion is based on Martin (1991).[1]

Consonants

LabialCoronalVelar
Plosivepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Fricativepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Semivowelpronounced as /link/

This small consonant inventory is typical of Lakes Plain languages.[2] The complete lack of nasals is also a feature of these languages.

There are however several notable allophonic variants:

Vowels

Sikaritai has six vowels.

FrontCentralBack
Highpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Mid-highpronounced as /link/
Midpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Lowpronounced as /link/

Many other Lakes Plain languages have developed a series of extra high "fricativized" vowels from the loss of a final consonant. In Sikaritai the final consonants have been retained; however, extra-high [i] and [u] appear as allophones of /i/ and /u/ before final /k/ and /d/. Martin postulates that Sikaritai is in the process of developing contrastive fricativized vowels as other Lakes Plain languages have done.

Tone

The language has a two-height tone system with H and L tone. More than one tonal element can appear on a single syllable.

Syllables

The syllable template is (C)(C)V(V)(C).

Notes and References

  1. Martin. David. 1991. Sikaritai phonology. Workpapers in Indonesian Languages and Cultures. 9. 91–120.
  2. Clouse. Duane. 1997. Toward a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya. Papers in Papuan Linguistics. 3. 133–236.