The Busa language, also known as Odiai (Uriai), is spoken in three hamlets of northwestern Papua New Guinea.[2] There were 244 speakers at the time of the 2000 census. One of the hamlets where Busa is spoken is Busa (3.837112°S 141.440227°E / -3.837112; 141.440227 (Busa)) in Rawei ward, Green River Rural LLG, Sandaun Province.[3]
| Busa | |
|---|---|
| Odiai | |
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Sandaun Province, Amanab District, north of Upper Sepik River, west of Namia. 3 villages. Yare is north and east, Abau is south and west, Biaka is northwest. |
Native speakers | 240 (2000 census)[1] |
Language family | Senu River or language isolate
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bhf |
| Glottolog | odia1239 |
| ELP | Busa |
| Coordinates: 3°49′S 141°20′E | |
| Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap |
| Download coordinates as: KML |
Busa speakers are in extensive trade and cultural contact with Yadë, a distantly related language spoken in six villages to the north of the Busa area.[2]
Busa may be one of the Kwomtari languages. Foley (2018) classifies Busa as a language isolate (meaning unclassified), but does not exclude the possibility that it may have a distant relationship with the Torricelli languages.[2]
Pronouns are:[2]
| sg | pl | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | mu | mi |
| 2 | am | |
| 3m | a ~ ari | ti |
| 3f | tu | |
Busa basic vocabulary listed in Foley (2018):[2]
| gloss | Busa |
|---|---|
| ‘bad’ | buriambu |
| ‘bird’ | wana |
| ‘black’ | baro |
| ‘breast’ | nã |
| ‘ear’ | dina |
| ‘eye’ | dena |
| ‘fire’ | eβa |
| ‘leaf’ | iri |
| ‘liver’ | munã |
| ‘louse’ | amo |
| ‘man’ | nutu |
| ‘mother’ | mẽ |
| ‘nape’ | onaiba |
| ‘older brother’ | aba |
| ‘road’ | ti |
| ‘stone’ | bito |
| ‘tooth’ | wuti |
| ‘tree’ | nda |
| ‘water’ | ani |
| ‘woman’ | ele |
| ‘one’ | otutu |
| ‘two’ | tinana |
| ‘three’ | wunana |
| ‘four’ | aite |
| ‘five’ | yumnadi |
The following basic vocabulary words are from Conrad and Dye (1975),[4] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[5]
| gloss | Busa |
|---|---|
| head | owuna |
| hair | etete |
| ear | dinʌ |
| eye | dena |
| nose | wʌti |
| tooth | wuti |
| tongue | dʌgʌrʌ |
| louse | amo |
| dog | inʌri |
| pig | waru |
| bird | wʌnʌ |
| egg | mʌiyʌ |
| blood | aɔ̨ |
| bone | ab̶uwibʌ |
| skin | tati |
| breast | ną |
| tree | nda |
| man | nutu |
| woman | tɔ |
| water | ani |
| stone | bitɔ |
| road, path | ti |
| eat | muniʌren |
| one | otutu |
| two | tinʌnʌ |
Busa subject agreement affixes are:[2]
| sg | pl | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ma- | ma- |
| 2 | a- | a- |
| 3 | m _r_- | m- |
| 3 | f | _w_- |
The Busa possessive suffix -ni is also found in proto-Sepik as the dative suffix *ni, as well as in Ama, a Left May language.[2]
Papuan language families (Palmer 2018 classification) | |||||||||||
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| Trans-New Guinea subgroups |
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| Eastern Nusantara families and isolates |
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| Bird's Head Peninsula families and isolates |
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| Northern Western New Guinea families and isolates | |||||||||||
| Central Western New Guinea families and isolates |
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| Sepik-Ramu basin families and isolates |
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| Gulf of Papua and southern New Guinea families and isolates | |||||||||||
| Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands families and isolates | |||||||||||
| Rossel Island isolate |
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| Proposed groupings |
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| Proto-language |
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Primary language families | |||||
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| Africa |
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| Eurasia (Europe and Asia) |
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| New Guinea and the Pacific |
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| Australia |
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| North America |
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| Mesoamerica |
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| South America |
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| Sign languages |
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| See also |
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