Amto–Musan languages
# Amto–Musan languages

Amto–Musan is a language family of two closely related but mutually unintelligible Papuan languages, Amto and Siawi, spoken along the Samaia River of Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea.

## Languages

Foley (2018) and Usher (2020) agree that the family consists of two languages.

### Amto–Musan / Samaia River family

* Amto (Ki)
* Musan (Musian, Siawi)

## External relationships

Amto–Musan was left unclassified by Ross (2005) (see Papuan languages#Ross (2005)) due to lack of data; Wurm (1975) had posited it as an independent family. The family has typological similarities with the Busa language isolate, but these do not appear to demonstrate a genetic relationship.

Timothy Usher links the Amto–Musan languages to their neighbors, the Arai languages and the Pyu language in as Arai–Samaia stock.

Foley (2018) classifies them separately as an independent language family. Foley also notes that due to heavy contact and trade with Left May languages, Amto–Musan languages have borrowed much cultural vocabulary from Left May.

## Cognates

Amto-Musan family cognates listed by Foley (2018):

    Amto-Musan family cognates glossAmtoMusan ‘bad’supuwarepioware ‘bird’aiʔai ‘black’towantewane ‘breast’nene ‘ear’yeʔe ‘eye’momene ‘fire’marimari ‘leaf’hesɛʔ ‘liver’teiteʔ ‘louse’nanunanu ‘man’kyuyɛnokono ‘mother’enainaʔ ‘nape’tipiyaritibiare ‘older brother’apɔaboʔ ‘road’momono ‘sago’tɔtawe ‘tongue’hənehanɛ ‘tooth’iʔi ‘tree’amiameʔ ‘water’wiwi

Possible cognates between the Amto-Musan and Left May families:

    Possible Amto-Musan family and Left May family cognates glossAmtoMusanAmaNimoOwiniga ‘breast’nenenanonɔnano ‘arm’nænainoina ‘louse’naninanuanieni ‘tooth’iʔiii ‘water’wiwiiwawibi

Possible loanwords reflecting the close trade relationship between Amto-Musan and Left May speakers:

* ‘arrow’ Amto lamu, Musan namu, Ama lamu
* ‘stone’: Amto tabeki, Musan tipeki, Bo təpəki, Ama tomoki

## Vocabulary comparison

The following basic vocabulary words are from Conrad & Dye (1975), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:

    glossAmtoSiawi head twænani hair (twæ) iwɔnanigi ear yeeʔ eye momene nose niǏimʌ tooth iʔi tongue hæne; hʌnehanɛ louse nanunani dog hɔsoː pig makinʌdiʔ bird aiʔai egg aiːiǏɔ blood nʌkeihařʔ bone haehařʔ skin kaʔaoko breast nene tree amɩameʔ man kyuyɛnokono woman hamaʔeǏo water wiːwi fire mařimaǏi stone tipekitʌbɛki road, path momono eat meːnepe one ohusʌmo two kiyaAhimolo
