Tehit language

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Tehit
Kaibus
Native toIndonesia
RegionSouth Sorong Regency (especially in Teminabuan)
EthnicityTehit people
Native speakers
10,000 (2000)[1]
500 monolinguals (2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3kps
Glottologtehi1237
Approximate location where Tehit is spoken
Approximate location where Tehit is spoken
Tehit
Approximate location where Tehit is spoken
Approximate location where Tehit is spoken
Tehit
Coordinates: 1°31′S 131°59′E / 1.51°S 131.99°E / -1.51; 131.99

Tehit is a Papuan language of the Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea. Other spellings are Tahit, Tehid, and other names Kaibus, Teminabuan. Dialects are Tehit Jit, Mbol Fle, Saifi, Imyan, Sfa Riere, Fkar, Sawiat Salmeit.

Subdivisions[edit]

Subgroups[edit]

Major Tehit ethnic subgroups:[2]

  • Tehit Mlafle
  • Tehit Mlakya
  • Tehit Konda
  • Tehit Nakna
  • Tehit Imian
  • Tehit Nasfa
  • Tehit Ogit / Yaben
  • Tehit Srer
  • Tehit Imian Slaya
  • Tehit Imian Salmit Klawsa
  • Tehit Salmi Klawsa
  • Tehit Mla Flassi
  • Tehit Mla Srit
  • Tehit Wakya
  • Tehit Gemna
  • Tehit Sfa

Locations of some Tehit subgroups:[2]

  • Tehit Mlafle and Tehit Mlakya, in Teminabuan District: Kaibus, Werisar, Keyen, Boldon, Seribau, Srer, and Sria villages.
  • Tehit Konda, in Konda District: Konda, Mnaelek, and Mbariat villages.
  • Tehit Nakya, in Saifi District: Malaswat, Manggroholo, Sira, Kwowok, Komanggaret, Sayal, Kayabo, Botaen, Sisir, and Knaya villages.
  • Tehit Imian, in Seremuk District: Gamaro, Tofot, Haha, Woloin, and Kakas villages.
  • Tehit Nasfa, in Sawiyat District: Wenslolo, Wensnahan, Wensi villages.

Clans[edit]

Tehit clans:[2]

  • Anggiluli
  • Ajamsaru
  • Aru
  • Anny
  • Antoh
  • Asmuruf
  • Adiolo
  • Aflili
  • Anny Snahan
  • Athabu
  • Bauk
  • Blesmargi
  • Bolhok
  • Bosawer
  • Blesia
  • Bleskadit
  • Boltal
  • Bless
  • Bri
  • Dimofle
  • Duwit
  • Esfat
  • Fna
  • Flassy
  • Flasisao
  • Firisa
  • Fafottolo
  • Fle
  • Flesa
  • Gemnase
  • Gimnafle
  • Ginuni
  • Gomor
  • Homer
  • Howay
  • Jarfi
  • Kasminya
  • Kalithin
  • Kabelwa
  • Kehek
  • Kaisala
  • Kareth
  • Kamesrar
  • Kaliele
  • Kedemes
  • Kwani
  • Kelelago
  • Kalilago
  • Kondjol
  • Kondologit
  • Kondororik
  • Krenak
  • Kemesfle
  • Klesei
  • Krimadi
  • Kladit
  • Kolin
  • Kombado
  • Klafle
  • Karsao Kadit
  • Karsauw
  • Kami
  • Kambu
  • Kalkomik
  • Kolenggea Flesa
  • Kolinggea Totyi
  • Kolingge Amak
  • Kolin
  • Komendi
  • Keya
  • Kamesok
  • Klofat
  • Kowani
  • Lemauk
  • Lohok
  • Lokden
  • Majefat
  • Maga
  • Majesfa
  • Majebrofat
  • Mbol Foyo
  • Mere
  • Meles
  • Melesogo
  • Mlik
  • Momot
  • Mondar
  • Mrokendi
  • Mtrar Mian Neman
  • Ngomor
  • Naa
  • Onim
  • Oniminya
  • Ogon
  • Refe
  • Ririk
  • Roni
  • Sabri
  • Sabrigis
  • Salosa
  • Sawen
  • Sakamak
  • Sa Marfat
  • Sadalmat
  • Saswen
  • Saru
  • Safkaur
  • Salamuk
  • Sagaret
  • Sables
  • Sadrafle
  • Sdun
  • Srefle
  • Serefat
  • Sreklefat
  • Sremere
  • Saranik
  • Seramik
  • Sesa
  • Smori
  • Snahan
  • Sarefe
  • Snanfi
  • Sadiwan
  • Sagisolo
  • Sregia
  • Srekadifat
  • Sakardifat
  • Salambauw
  • Slambau Karfat
  • Srer
  • Simat
  • Segeitmena
  • Seryo
  • Satfle
  • Safle
  • Singgir
  • Smur
  • Saman
  • Susim
  • Sagrim
  • Sreifi
  • Srekya
  • Srekdifat
  • Saflafo
  • Siger
  • Saflesa
  • Sre Klefat
  • Syasefa
  • Seketeles
  • Saflembolo
  • Selaya
  • Saledrar
  • Snanbion
  • Sigi
  • Sekalas
  • Saflessa
  • Sefle
  • Thesia
  • Tidiel
  • T’ryo
  • Trogea
  • Tigori
  • Tritrigoin Wato
  • Wasfle
  • Wamban
  • Way
  • Watak
  • Wafatolo
  • Wamblessa
  • Wodiok
  • Woloin
  • Wagarefe
  • Widik
  • Woloble
  • Wororik
  • Yatam
  • Yajan
  • Yajar
  • Yable
  • Yafle
  • Yadafat
  • Yadanfi
  • Yarollo
  • Yelmolo

Phonology[edit]

Consonants[edit]

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Plosive plain p b t d ɡ q
prenasal ᵐp ᵐb ⁿt ⁿd ᵑɡ ᶰq
Fricative ɸ s h
Nasal m n
Tap ɾ
Approximant (w) l (j)
  • Glide sounds [w, j] mainly occur as a result of vowels /o, i/ in different syllable positions.[3]
  • /q/ can be heard as a fricative [ʁ] when in intervocalic positions, and as a velar [k] when in coda position within the onset of /i/.
  • /d/ can also be heard as an affricate [dʒ] when preceding /i/ in word segments.
  • Sounds /t, q/ are mainly unreleased [t̚, q̚] in when in word-final positions.
  • Fricatives /ɸ, s/ can optionally be voiced as [β, z] when within the environment of /i/, among speech.[4]

Vowels[edit]

Front Central Back
High i
Mid e (ə) o
Low a
  • A schwa [ə] vowel sound is said to occur only in pretonic positions, which means in syllables preceding the stressed syllable. It is always heard as unstressed, and always in between consonant sounds.[5][3]
  • /i/ can be heard as [ɪ] when preceding a word-final /ɾ/, and as [ɨ] when preceding vowel sounds /a, o/ within the onset of a labial consonant.
  • /e/ can be heard as [ɛ] when in closed syllables.
  • /o/ may also have an allophone of [u] when in closed syllables within a labial consonantal onset with a back coda consonant.

Morphology[edit]

Tehit has four grammatical genders, which are masculine, feminine, plural, and neuter. Examples:[6]

gender suffix examples
masculine -w ndla-w ‘husband’, sna-w ‘moon’, qliik-w ‘snake’
feminine -m -ene-m ‘mother’, tali-m ‘sun’, mbol-m ‘house’
plural -y sinas-y ‘small mosquito’, sinaq-y ‘gravel’, siray ‘salt’
neuter zero n/a

Gender prefixes in Tehit can not only be used to denote gender, but also size, wholeness, and the stability of appearances. Masculine gender is associated with small size, parts of wholes, and changing appearances, while feminine gender is associated with large size, wholeness, and stable appearances. Examples (from Flassy 1991: 10–12):

feminine masculine
wet ‘child’

wet-m

child-3F

wet-m

child-3F

‘girl’

wet-w

child-3M

wet-w

child-3M

‘boy’

e’ren ‘fish’

e’ren-m

fish-3F

e’ren-m

fish-3F

‘big fish’

e’ren-w

fish-3M

e’ren-w

fish-3M

‘small fish’

mbol ‘house’

mbol-y

house-3PL

mbol-y

house-3PL

‘houses’

mbol-w

house-3M

mbol-w

house-3M

‘small house’ / ‘houses’

sika ‘cat’

sika-w

cat-3M

sika-w

cat-3M

‘male cat’ / ‘cats’

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Tehit at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b c Ronsumbre, Adolof (2020). Ensiklopedia Suku Bangsa di Provinsi Papua Barat. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kepel Press. ISBN 978-602-356-318-0.
  3. ^ a b Hesse, Ronald (2000). Tehit. In Ger P. Reesink (ed.), Studies in Irian Languages: Part II: Jakarta, Indonesia: Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya. pp. 25–33.
  4. ^ Hesse, Ronald (1993). Imyan Tehit Phonology. Grand Forks: Univ. of North Dakota.
  5. ^ Hesse, Ronald (1995). Syllable structure in Imyan Tehit. Language and Linguistics in Melanesia 26. pp. 101–171.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Holton, Gary; Klamer, Marian (2018). "The Papuan languages of East Nusantara and the Bird's Head". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 569–640. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.

Further reading[edit]

  • Flassy, Don A. L.; Stokhof, W. A. L. (1979). "A Note on Tehit (Bird's Head – Irian Jaya)" (PDF). In Amran Halim (ed.). Miscellaneous Studies in Indonesian and Languages in Indonesia, Part VI. NUSA 7. Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya. pp. 35–83.
  • Flassy, Don A. L. (1991). Grammar Sketch of Tehit: A Toror language, the West Doberai Peninsula, New Guinea (Irian Jaya) (MA thesis). Leiden University.
  • Hesse, Ronald (1993). Imyan Tehit Phonology (MA thesis). University of North Dakota.
  • Hesse, Ronald (2000). "Tehit" (PDF). In Reesink, Ger P. (ed.). Studies in Irian Languages, Part II. NUSA 47. Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya. pp. 25–33.