Fas languages
Encyclopedia
The Fas languages are a small language family
of Papua New Guinea
. They are generally classified as part of a larger as-yet unproven Kwomtari–Fas family.
and Fas
(40% cognate), there has been considerable confusion over its membership, apparently due to a misalignment in the publication (Loving & Bass 1964) of the data used for the initial classification. (See Baron 1983.) The initial name of the family was Fas, but Laycock (1975) changed it to Baibai when he mistakenly moved Fas to the Kwomtari
family, an error perpetuated in much of the literature. Baibai (Baibai and Biaka) is therefore not a synonym for the Fas family (Baibai and Fas). See Kwomtari–Fas languages for details.
A few regular sound correspondences are apparent (Baron 1983:21 ff):
* /k/–/f/ metathesis still operates in Fas. /s/–/f/ and /s/–/m/ metathesis has been reconstructed.
* /k/ is lost in some environments. Baibai [ɾɛɡi] may be phonemically /ɾɛki/.
Baron sees no evidence that the similarities between the Fas and Kwomtari families are any greater than with neighboring unrelated families, and thus doubts the validity of the putative Kwomtari–Fas family.
that Paul Kiparsky
's Opacity Principle allowed no exceptions. See Optimality theory
for later developments in phonological theory. Further papers are posted on his website. Recently an honours thesis by Fiona Blake (University of Sydney
) has also been posted on the web; she refers to Fas as Momu.
The Fas language apparently has a seven-vowel system. It also has a bilabial trill
[ʙ] (Baron 1979:95), even though Laycock (1975:854) had expressed his doubts about earlier reports of this feature by Capell (1962).
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. They are generally classified as part of a larger as-yet unproven Kwomtari–Fas family.
Classification
Despite the fact that the family consists of just two closely related languages, BaibaiBaibai language
Baibai is one of two Fas languages of Papua New Guinea. It is the eponymous language of the spurious Baibai languages, which was posited when the Fas language was mistakenly swapped for the Kwomtari language Biaka in published data. It actually has little in common with Kwomtari, but is 40% cognate...
and Fas
Fas language
Fas is the eponymous language of the small Fas language family of Papua New Guinea.Fas was once mistakenly placed in the Kwomtari family, confusing their classification. Its only demonstrated relative is actually Baibai, with which it is 40% cognate. See Fas languages for details.-References:*...
(40% cognate), there has been considerable confusion over its membership, apparently due to a misalignment in the publication (Loving & Bass 1964) of the data used for the initial classification. (See Baron 1983.) The initial name of the family was Fas, but Laycock (1975) changed it to Baibai when he mistakenly moved Fas to the Kwomtari
Kwomtari languages
The Kwomtari languages are a small language family of Papua New Guinea.-Classification:The family consists of the highly divergent language Guriaso, and the two closely related languages Kwomtari and Nai:*Kwomtari stock**Guriaso...
family, an error perpetuated in much of the literature. Baibai (Baibai and Biaka) is therefore not a synonym for the Fas family (Baibai and Fas). See Kwomtari–Fas languages for details.
A few regular sound correspondences are apparent (Baron 1983:21 ff):
| correspondance | Fas example | Baibai example | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| ʙ–mb | mɛʙəkɛ | mɛmbəkɛ | "star" |
| *ɾ → k, ɾ | kəmas | ɾəmas | "bow" |
| k–f metathesis Metathesis (linguistics) Metathesis is the re-arranging of sounds or syllables in a word, or of words in a sentence. Most commonly it refers to the switching of two or more contiguous sounds, known as adjacent metathesis or local metathesis:... * |
kafəki | ɾaɾəfi | "tobacco" |
| *k → zero,* k | kɛj | ɾɛɡi | "hand" |
Baron sees no evidence that the similarities between the Fas and Kwomtari families are any greater than with neighboring unrelated families, and thus doubts the validity of the putative Kwomtari–Fas family.
Characteristics of the languages
Two papers were published by Wietze Baron (1979, 1983a) on the phonology of Fas. Baron argued that the phonological processes of Fas contradict claims by proponents of Natural Generative PhonologyPhonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
that Paul Kiparsky
Paul Kiparsky
René Paul Viktor Kiparsky is a professor of linguistics at Stanford University. He is the son of the Russian-born linguist and Slavicist Valentin Kiparsky....
's Opacity Principle allowed no exceptions. See Optimality theory
Optimality theory
Optimality theory is a linguistic model proposing that the observed forms of language arise from the interaction between conflicting constraints. OT models grammars as systems that provide mappings from inputs to outputs; typically, the inputs are conceived of as underlying representations, and...
for later developments in phonological theory. Further papers are posted on his website. Recently an honours thesis by Fiona Blake (University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
) has also been posted on the web; she refers to Fas as Momu.
The Fas language apparently has a seven-vowel system. It also has a bilabial trill
Bilabial trill
-External links:*...
[ʙ] (Baron 1979:95), even though Laycock (1975:854) had expressed his doubts about earlier reports of this feature by Capell (1962).