Prehistory of the Papuan realm:the ASJP evidence

Søren Wichmann

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Introducing the Automated Similarity Judgment Program

• Database consisting of 40-item wordlists for 57% of the world’s languages

• Words are compared through a string dissimilarity measure, a version of the so-called Levenshtein or ‘edit’ distance

• Pairwise distances among languages are calculated as averages over the 40 lexical items

• Distances can be used for all sorts of things, including the generation of phylogenies and the calculation of diversity measures for the purpose of inferring homelands

Basic ASJP resources drawn upon for this presentation

• A classification of all 780 Papuan doculects in the database, representing 538 ISO-639-3 codes and 7 languages not recognized by Ethnologue

• Identification of hypothetical homelands for 68 Papuan language families in the classification of Hammarström (2010)

What’s useful about ASJP trees?

• Known to accurately replicate uncontroversial mid-level subgroups

• Help to distinguish more believable from less believable phylogenetic clusters

• More consistent than the impressionistic way in which lexicostatistics was often carried out in the 60’s and 70’s and which still influences the way that historical relations among Papuan languages are thought about

• Can be produced in a manner of minutes / hours for several hundred / thousand languages

3 random examples of ASJP classifications

(which are from different areas and which fit a page)

BAGWALAL

TINDI

KARATA

BOTLIKH

GODOBERI

CHAMALAL

ANDI

AKHVAKH

AVAR

BEZHTA

BEZHTA 2

HUNZIB

HINUKH

TSEZ

INKHOKWARI

KHWARSHI

NDa.AVAR-ANDIC-TSEZIC

CHECHEN

INGUSH

BATS

NDa.NAKH

DARGWA

LAKNDa.LAK-DARGWA

ARCHI

ARCHI 2

UDI

KHINALUG

RUTUL

TSAKHUR

BUDUKH

KRYZ

LEZGI

AGUL

TABASARAN

NDa.LEZGIC

1000

Nakh-Daghestanian

SOUTHERN PAIUTE

UTE SOUTHERN PAIUTE

NORTHERN PAIUTE

UTE 1

UTE 2

KAWAIISU

COMANCHE

SHOSHONI

PANAMINT

TUMPISA

UA.NUMIC

UA.TUBATULABAL TUBATULABAL

KITANEMUK

LUISENO

CAHUILLA

CUPENO

UA.TAKIC

UA.HOPI HOPI

TOHONO OODHAM

UPPER PIMA

PIMA BAJO

NORTHERN TEPEHUAN

LOWER PIMA

SOUTHERN TEPEHUAN

TEPECANO

UA.TEPIMAN

PIPIL

TETELCINGO NAHUATL

POCHUTLA NAHUATL

UA.AZTECAN

EL NAYAR CORA

HUICHOLUA.CORACHOL

UA.TUBAR TUBAR

GUARIJIO

WARIHIO

HUARIJIO

CENTRAL TARAHUMARA

UA.TARAHUMARAN

OPATA

YAQUI

MAYO

MAYO LOS CAPOMOS

YAQUI 2

UA.CAHITA

1000

Uto-Aztecan

BARUPU

POO

RAMO

SUMO

Sko.WARUPU

POKO RAWO

SUMARARU

WOMO

Sko.SERRA HILLS

Sko.KRISA ISAKA

DUMO

DUSUR

LEITRE

SKOU

SANGKE

WUTUNG

Sko.WESTERN SKO

1000

Sko

Contributions in this talk

• Contributions to the classification of Papuan languages– Tearing down: using the ASJP tree to distinguish more

reliable from less reliable proposals– Building up: using the ASJP tree to find relations that are

new or not yet fully established

• Contributions to other aspect of Papuan prehistory: – Viewing and interpreting the distribution of hypothetical

homelands of 68 families in the HaHa classification

One random page from the ASJP classification of Papuan languages

Strategy for tearing down

• Using a semi-conservative classification scheme such as that of Dryer (2005) find all cases where language families are uninterrupted and put them in the category ‘unproblematical’

• Apply ASJP to the remaining languages and repeat• Classify the remaining according to the highest-

order standardly accepted groupings that correspond to uninterrupted segments of the ASJP tree

Unproblematical families and isolates (51)

Amto-Musan Kapauri SenagiAnem Kayagar, Kehu SentaniAwin-Pare Kiwaian SulkaArafundi Lavukaleve TofanmaBilua Left May TouoBosavi Lepki Turama-KikorianBulaka River Lower Mamberano UskuBurmeso Mairasi Upper YuatDoso Molof WasiEast Bougainville Mombun West BougainvilleEast Bird’s Head Monumbo West BomberaiEast Geelvink Bay Murkim Western FlyEast Strickland Morwap YaleGapun Nimboran YawaGogodala-Suki Odiai YeleInland Gulf Oksapmin YarebanKamula Savosavo Yuat

Initially problematical families

• Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of segments into which the families are segmented in the ASJP Papuan classification• Indents are the broken up WALS genera

Border (2) BORDER (2)Eleman (2)Kaure (2) KAURE (2)Kehu (2)Kwomtari-Fas (2)Kolopom (2) KOLOPOM (2)Kwalean (2) KWALEAN (2)Kwerba (4) KWERBA (3)

Lakes Plain (2)Leonhard Schultze (2) LEONHARD SCHULTZE (2)Lower Sepik-Ramu (4) GRASS (2)Marind (2)Morehead and Upper Maro Rivers (5) MOREHEAD AND UPPER MARO RIVERS (5)Pauwasi (2) PAUWASI (2)Sepik (5) BIKSI (2) MIDDLE SEPIK (2) SEPIK HILL (2) UPPER SEPIK (2)

Sko (2)Teberan-Pawaian (2)Trans-New Guinea (21) ANGAN (2) KOLANA-TANGLAPUI (2) MADANG (4) WEST TIMOR-ALOR-PANTAR (4)Tor-Orya (2)Torricelli (4) KOMBIO-ARAPESH (3) WAPEI-PALEI (6)West Papuan (4) NORTH-CENTRAL BIRD’S HEAD (2)

After removing unproblematical families

• Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of segments into which the families are segmented in the ASJP Papuan classification• Indents are the broken up WALS genera

√ Border Eleman (2)Kaure (2) KAURE (2)Kwomtari-Fas (2)Kolopom (2) Kwalean (2) Kwerba (4) KWERBA (3)

√ Lakes PlainLeonhard Schultze (2) LEONHARD SCHULTZE (2)Lower Sepik-Ramu (4) GRASS (2)Marind (2)Morehead and Upper Maro Rivers (5) MOREHEAD AND UPPER MARO RIVERS (5)Pauwasi (2) PAUWASI (2)Sepik (5) BIKSI (2) MIDDLE SEPIK (2) SEPIK HILL (2) UPPER SEPIK (2)

Sko (2)Teberan-Pawaian (2)Trans-New Guinea (21) ANGAN (2) KOLANA-TANGLAPUI (2) MADANG (4) WEST TIMOR-ALOR-PANTAR (4)Tor-Orya (2)Torricelli (4) KOMBIO-ARAPESH (3) WAPEI-PALEI (6)West Papuan (4) NORTH-CENTRAL BIRD’S HEAD (2)

Slightly reduced list of problematical families

• Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of segments into which the families are segmented in the ASJP Papuan classification• Indents are the broken up WALS genera

Eleman (2)Kaure (2) KAURE (2)Kwomtari-Fas (2)Kolopom (2)Kwalean (2)Kwerba (4) KWERBA (3)

Leonhard Schultze (2) LEONHARD SCHULTZE (2)Lower Sepik-Ramu (4) GRASS (2)Marind (2)Morehead and Upper Maro Rivers (5) MOREHEAD AND UPPER MARO RIVERS (5)Pauwasi (2) PAUWASI (2)Sepik (5) BIKSI (2) MIDDLE SEPIK (2) SEPIK HILL (2) UPPER SEPIK (2)

Sko (2)Teberan-Pawaian (2)Trans-New Guinea (21) ANGAN (2) KOLANA-TANGLAPUI (2) MADANG (4) WEST TIMOR-ALOR-PANTAR (4)Tor-Orya (2)Torricelli (4) KOMBIO-ARAPESH (3) WAPEI-PALEI (6)West Papuan (4) NORTH-CENTRAL BIRD’S HEAD (2)

Building up again

• Isolate cases where a family is split because of one or two intruders which might actually be related

Sko

Bunak

Molmo One

ISAKA{Sko}we numulouse e*y*leaf siyskin tablood sibreast nipath pili

MOLMO_ONE{Tor}minE, momonisilatapesolinimnaplEni

Isaka / Molmo One comparisons

ASJPcode: * = nasalization E = ε

Teberan-Pawaian

BIKARU{Sep} DARIBI{Teb} FOLOPA{Teb}

louseleafskinboneearbreastwaterfireroadnight

nowmiyokukhaheli holimonuamimawusiayunu yali yau

no*u*

dilioroamiwasiatu*be huli

doisakuseka*idiri

we*isitu*

Bikaru / Teberan-Pawaian comparisons

Tor-Orya & Kwerba

Tor-Orya

Kwerba

NB: Already a recognizedEthnologue family, so nofurther details here

Parts (!) of the Wapei-PaleiSubgroup of Torricelli

KUKWO{Tor}I kupm~we ment~odog nmp~abone tpm~uNk~ulear nuNk~ulkN~tongue ek melip hand wam breast ma liver walpm~see arisun takN~niwater hu

AIKU{Tor}um mian yimbak ykilia yngul yalip pamb~amyman zmbal3mari tan sulm

Kukwo / Aiku comparisons

ASJPcode: ~ = preceding two symbols are a unit N = ŋ 3 = schwa

Slightly more reduced list of problematical families

• Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of segments into which the families are segmented in the ASJP Papuan classification• Indents are the broken up WALS genera

Eleman (2)Kaure (2) KAURE (2)Kwomtari-Fas (2)Kolopom (2)Kwalean (2)Kwerba (4) KWERBA (3)

Leonhard Schultze (2) LEONHARD SCHULTZE (2)Lower Sepik-Ramu (4) GRASS (2)Marind (2)Morehead and Upper Maro Rivers (5) MOREHEAD AND UPPER MARO RIVERS (5)Pauwasi (2) PAUWASI (2)Sepik (5) BIKSI (2) MIDDLE SEPIK (2) SEPIK HILL (2) UPPER SEPIK (2)

Trans-New Guinea (21) ANGAN (2) KOLANA-TANGLAPUI (2) MADANG (4) WEST TIMOR-ALOR-PANTAR (4)Torricelli (4) KOMBIO-ARAPESH (3) WAPEI-PALEI (6)West Papuan (4) NORTH-CENTRAL BIRD’S HEAD (2)

Building up further

• Go through the ASJP tree and find possible, not standardly recognized relations

• Check for geography• Inspect word lists• If promising do more in-depth studies

Saberi (“Kwerba”) & Kapauri (isolate)

KAPAURI{isol.}tooth wanutongue mEnuknee n3volisee huwarE7water bu

SABERI{Kwerba}wanamemunabone fabowarebu, buq

Kapauri / Saberi comparisons

ASJPcode: 7 = glottal stop

Savosavo and Bilua

NB: Both recognizedas Central Solomonsin Ethnologue, so nofurther detail here

Murkim (isol.) & Lepki (isol.) &Kimki (“Sepik, Biksi”)

Murkim (isol.) & Lepki (isol.) & Kimki (“Sepik, Biksi”) comparisons

Milki Murkim Lepki Kimki

TwoPersonFishDogLouseTreeLeafSkinBoneEarNoseToothTongueKneeBreast

kaisrakansaiimyamulbw~aikyaith~kokbw~imo*akalproukbalkamom

kaisirayakEn

nimyanabaiyitkowbw~imogw~ankalbrawkolbw~Inom

sanim

bw~aikith~ibahkw~arbw~a

arbagubrig

Murkim (isol.) & Lepki (isol.) & Kimki (“Sepik, Biksi”) comparisons (cont.)

Milki Murkim Lepki Kimki

hearsunstarwaterfirepathmountainnightname

paokaya7kaloilikelyomsanlidislaibe

ofao

EndikElyaoalamasin

tiTa

basko*kaiyaide

ble

aib

Dagan (“TNG, Dagan”)& Kolopom (“TNG, Kolopom)

Dagan & Kolopom comparisons

Daga{Dagan} Ndom{Kolopom}

Iyouwetwopersonhandhearsunstone

negenudeorupnanipanuwangoat

nexenith~efreftanmuwenmat

Kamula & Pare (both “TNG” but different groups)

Kamula & Pare comparisons

Kamula Pare

Iyouwetwolouseeareyetonguekneehandseehearstonename

nE*wE*diEdepiomEtEiyomoloinomatEoLumato (‘arm’)eletoloewoLohi

no*gonigidiyaboomogokinemotEoumuatowededwodalaiebohi

ASJPcode = L lateral other than l

Second part: homelands

• Method (Wichmann et al. 2010):– Find the language in a family that has the highest

diversity index and assign the homeland of the family to this language

– Calculate the diversity indices by taking the average of the ratio L/G between the target language and all other language (L = linguistic distance, G = geographical distance)

NB: 66 slides showing homelands ofvarious small families taken out here to make the file smaller

Histogram of mindist

mindist

Fre

qu

en

cy

0 100 200 300 400 500

05

10

15

20

25

The smallest distance from each Papuanhomeland to all other Papuan homelands:

Mean: 87 km (82 km without outlier)Standard deviation: 69 km (52 km without outlier)

Quantifying territoriality

References

• Dryer, Matthew. 2005. Genealogical language list. In: Haspelmath, Martin, Matthew Dryer, David Gil, and Bernard Comrie (eds.), 584-644. The World Atlas of Language Structures. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Hammarström, Harald. 2010. A full-scale test of the language farming hypothesis. Diachronica 27: 197-213.

• Wichmann, Søren, André Müller, and Viveka Velupillai. 2010. Homelands of the world’s language families: A quantitative approach. Diachronica 27: 247-276.