Buang
Mapos Buang
Austronesian
Mapos Buang is an Oceanic language of the Buang language cluster in Papua New Guinea's Morobe Province, spoken in the Snake River valley by ~10,000 people across the Mapos and Manga community areas. Buang varieties (Mapos, Manga, Mumeng) form a dialect continuum with mutual intelligibility decreasing with distance. As a Western Oceanic language, Buang preserves typical Oceanic features (3-degree distance demonstratives, pre-verbal subject markers, verb-final clauses) while exhibiting some New Guinea Highland substratum influence. The Mapos Buang community has a strong oral tradition and the New Testament was translated into Mapos Buang in 1989 (revised 2005).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Mapos Buang
Water
vuur
/vuːr/
Fire
ehe
/ehe/
Sun
gum
/ɡum/
Moon
mha
/mha/
Star
betuheng
/betuheŋ/
Mother
ne
/ne/
Father
ma
/ma/
I
sa
/sa/
You
honġ
/hoŋ/
Name
arë
/arə/
Eye
mata
/mata/
Hand
mok
/mok/
Heart
minga
/miŋa/
Love
vong
/voŋ/
Tree
leng
/leŋ/
House
ya
/ja/
Dog
nyam
/ɲam/
Cat
pus
/pus/
Eat
gen
/ɡen/
Drink
nung
/nuŋ/
One
lon
/lon/
Two
luu
/luː/
Hello
miig
/miːɡ/
Thank you
vog ehog
/voɡ ehoɡ/
Good
vovo
/vovo/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian languages
| Meaning | Mapos Buang | Hote | Mandar | Toba Batak | Sakizaya | Tokelauan | Bikol Central |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | vuur /vuːr/ | lua /lua/ | uai /uai/ | aek /aek/ | nanum /nanum/ | vai /vai/ | tubig /tubiɡ/ |
| Fire | ehe /ehe/ | eve /eve/ | api /api/ | api /api/ | lamal /lamal/ | afi /afi/ | kalayo /kalajo/ |
| Sun | gum /ɡum/ | ari /aɾi/ | mata allo /mata alːo/ | mata ni ari /mata ni ari/ | cidal /tʃidal/ | la /la/ | saldang /salˈdaŋ/ |
| Moon | mha /mha/ | kalam /kalam/ | bulang /bulaŋ/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulad /bulad/ | malama /malama/ | bulan /bulan/ |
| Star | betuheng /betuheŋ/ | puling /puliŋ/ | bittoeng /bittoeŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bo'is /boʔis/ | fetu /fetu/ | bitoon /bituʔon/ |
| Mother | ne /ne/ | ne /ne/ | indo /indo/ | ina /ina/ | ina /ina/ | mātua /maːtua/ | nanay /nanaj/ |
| Father | ma /ma/ | ma /ma/ | ama /ama/ | ama /ama/ | ama /ama/ | tamana /tamana/ | tatay /tataj/ |
| I | sa /sa/ | yah /jah/ | iyau /ijau/ | au /au/ | zaku /ʐaku/ | au /au/ | ako /ʔako/ |
| You | honġ /hoŋ/ | oh /ʔoh/ | io /iʔo/ | ho /ho/ | kisu /kisu/ | koe /koe/ | ika /ʔika/ |
| Name | arë /arə/ | aling /aliŋ/ | sanga /saŋa/ | goar /goar/ | ngangan /ŋaŋan/ | igoa /iŋoa/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ |
| Eye | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | mok /mok/ | mok /mok/ | lima /lima/ | tangan /taŋan/ | kamay /kamai/ | lima /lima/ | kamot /kamot/ |
| Heart | minga /miŋa/ | mun /mun/ | ate /ate/ | roha /roha/ | gawang /ɡawaŋ/ | fatu /fatu/ | puso /puso/ |
| Love | vong /voŋ/ | voŋ /voŋ/ | mappinawa /mapːinawa/ | holong /holoŋ/ | maolah /maolah/ | alofa /alofa/ | pagkamoot /paɡkamoʔot/ |
| Tree | leng /leŋ/ | len /len/ | kaju /kaju/ | hau /hau/ | kilang /kilaŋ/ | lakau /lakau/ | kahoy /kahoj/ |
| House | ya /ja/ | ya /ja/ | boyang /bojaŋ/ | jabu /dʒabu/ | luma /luma/ | fale /fale/ | harong /haɾoŋ/ |
| Dog | nyam /ɲam/ | nyam /ɲam/ | asu /asu/ | biang /biaŋ/ | waco /watʃo/ | kuli /kuli/ | ayam /ajam/ |
| Cat | pus /pus/ | pus /pus/ | mio /mio/ | huting /hutiŋ/ | posi /posi/ | pusi /pusi/ | ikos /ikos/ |
| Eat | gen /ɡen/ | gen /ɡen/ | ma'ande /maʔande/ | mangan /maŋan/ | hekal /hekal/ | kai /kai/ | kakanon /kakanon/ |
| Drink | nung /nuŋ/ | nun /nun/ | minung /minuŋ/ | minum /minum/ | mihecak /mihetʃak/ | inu /inu/ | inumon /inumon/ |
| One | lon /lon/ | lon /lon/ | mesa /mesa/ | sada /sada/ | cacay /tʃatʃai/ | tahi /tahi/ | saro /saɾo/ |
| Two | luu /luː/ | yu /ju/ | dua /dua/ | dua /dua/ | tusa /tusa/ | lua /lua/ | duwa /duwa/ |
| Hello | miig /miːɡ/ | kaye /kaje/ | salama' ma'ondong /salamaʔ maʔondoŋ/ | horas /horas/ | marayas /maɾajas/ | malo ni /malo ni/ | kumusta /kumusta/ |
| Thank you | vog ehog /voɡ ehoɡ/ | fau /fau/ | kuru' sumanga' /kuɾuʔ sumaŋaʔ/ | mauliate /mauliate/ | lalumahan /lalumahan/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | dios mabalos /dios mabalos/ |
| Good | vovo /vovo/ | vovo /vovo/ | macoa /matʃoa/ | denggan /deŋɡan/ | kapah /kapah/ | lelei /lelei/ | marhay /maɾhaj/ |
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