Timothy Usher, Santa Fe Institute
Aekyom (Akium,) known also as Awin, is spoken by approximately 9,000 (1986) people living in 70 villages throughout the lowlands immediately south of the central cordillera, between the Fly river and its western tributary the Ok Tedi (Alice river) and as far east as the Wok Luap (Palmer) and Black rivers and the hills north of the Elevala river, in Papua New Guinea's Western Province. The origin of the term Aekyom /ækjom/, used by speakers to refer to their own language, is unknown; one hypothesis would be that it means roughly “fierce village” (/æ-kjom/.) The term Awin is used by the Yongkom people to the southwest to refer to all Aekyom speakers; most likely this is originally a Faiwol term meaning “affine” reflecting Mountain Ok /*apin/. Although the nearest linguistic relative of Aekyom is Pa (Pare) to the southeast, the Aekyom regard themselves as most closely related to the Min (Mountain Ok) peoples immediately to the north. Pa speakers call the Aekyom Iyame, which Depew glosses as “people who eat the long banana called aiyame” (Voorhoeve 1975: 389, Depew 1986: 10-16, 17, Stewart 1989: 1, 330, Christensen 2004: 7.) Aekyom has borrowed basic vocabulary both from Mountain Ok and from the Lowland Ok languages immediately to the west.
Voorhoeve (1975: 389) proposes three dialects of Awin, west, central-north, and east, a division consistent with Austen's (1924-1925: 75) Eastern Tedi River, Western Fly River near Palmer Junction and Western Donaldson Range varieties. Depew (1986: 12-14) suggests a possible fourth dialect as follows, with the proposed North Central dialect unnamed:
Aekyom
West – Aekyom – Alice (Ok Tedi) River
East (Southeast) - Aekyom-Pare – Fly River
Northeast – Aekyom-Skai – Palmer (Wok Luap) and Black rivers
North Central
Stewart (1989: 1, 26) distinguishes three dialects …
According to Stewart (1989: 1) Aekyom Pa (Aekyom-Pare) is different enough to nearly be considered a distinct language … Fly River … (p. 26):
| Lower River | Fly River | |
| house | abɛ | ɛbɛ |
| Aekyom | ækjɔm | ɛkjɔm |
| dog | psæn | psɑn |
| this (actor) | hia | hija |
| okari nut | hæwɛ | hɛwɛ |
| tree | dɛⁱ | di |
| sand | dɺi | dni |
| frog | sjɑmɛ | sijɑmɛ |
| light | kæ | kɛ |
| blood | kapɔⁱ | kapwi |
| canoe | kɺɔ | knɔ |
| things | gɺⁱɶgɺⁱɶ | gniognio |
However, Depew's (1986: 13) brief chart shows the Northeast dialect to be the most divergent:
| Northeast | North Central | East | West | |
| woman | ana | arla | ala | ala |
| pig | mi | minɛ | minɛ | minɛ |
| tree grub | biɛn | psɛnɛ | psɛnɛ | psɛnɛ |
| dog | biun | psænɛ | psænɛ | psænɛ |
| marsupial | ti | tɛⁱ | tɛⁱ | tɔⁱ |
| bird | smi | smɛlɛⁱ | smɛlɛ | smirɛ |
| arrow | kum | kapunɛ | æpinɛ | apinɛ |
| hornbill | kbilɛⁱ | kʰwirɛ | kbilɛⁱ | kʰwirɛ |
(The difference between <l r> in this chart is unexplained.)
Thus, based upon what data is available to us, the following subclassification can be proposed:
Aekyom
Northeast Aekyom
Central Aekyom
North Aekyom
Southeast Aekyom
West Aekyom
By comparison to this chart, Austen's (1924-1925: 75) Eastern Tedi River, Western Fly River and Western Donaldson Range dialects and Champion's (1926-1927: 117) Plain Country are equivalent to either Southeast or West Aekyom, as are unattributed vocabularies of Karana and Kawandere villages (below.) It is unfortunate that no robust source for Northeast Aekyom, which well represent its own language, is available to us.
Voorhoeve (1968: 6) counts 85% cognates between 82 standard terms for West Awin and East Awin, …, which he …
Austen (1921-1922: 161) 109 comparative terms for Amnat on the Eastern side of the Tedi (Alice) River
Ray (1923: 339) 2 pronouns, (p. 345) 5 numerals and (p. 354-356) 19 comparative terms for Amnat after Austen (1921-1922)
Austen (1924-1925: 75) 38 comparative terms for Awin of Eastern Tedi River, Awin of Western Fly River near Palmer Junction, Awin of Western Donaldson Range and for Upper Fly River (mix of Aekyom and Faiwol) near the Star Mountains, 597 miles from the mouth of the Fly
Champion (1926-1927: 117) 55 comparative terms for Plain Country between the 500-mile mark on Palmer (Luap) river and the foot of the mountains
O'Connor (1936-1937) (unobtained)
O'Connor (1937-1938) (unobtained)
Rule and Rule (1970) grammar of Aekyom (unobtained)
McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970) includes Awin comparisons
Voorhoeve (1975: 389-390) grammar sketch of southwest Awin (Aekyom) between Kiunga and Rumginae
Voorhoeve (2007) 179 comparative terms for Awin, North Awin, West Awin, East Awin and Minumin
Depew (1986) ethnography of Upper Fly River Aekyom
Stewart (1989) phonology and grammar sketch of Lower Maeri River Aekyom
Stewart (2016) dictionary of Aekyom
In addition to these, Paul Whitehouse provided comparative vocabularies of Aekyom of Karana and Kawandere villages via the Summer Institute of Linguistics Ukarumpa; however they are undated and unattributed.
[under construction]
Depew (1986, presumably following Rule and Rule 1970) gives 17 consonants and 6 vowels for Upper Fly River Aekyom as follows:
| m | n | ŋ | ||
| pʰ | tʰ | kʰ | ||
| p | t | k | ||
| b | d | g | ||
| s | h | |||
| w | r | j |
| i | u | |
| ɛ | ɔ | |
| æ | a |
In addition to the simple vowels given above, four diphthongs are found as follows:
| ɛⁱ | ɔⁱ | |
| aⁱ | aᵘ |
Voorhoeve (1975: 389) presents the same consonants for southwest Awin, further asserting that voiced bilabial stop /b/ can be lenited to [β], voiced velar stop /g/ can be realized as prenasalized [ŋg] and fricative /s/ can be realized as affricate [ts].
According to Stewart (… CITE…) Aekyom voiced stops /b d g/ can be realized as prenasalized [mb nd ŋg] in initial position. Prenasalization is found medially only in compounds. This feature, somewhat unusual in New Guinea where prenasalization is typically lost initially before it is lost medially, is shared with the Mountain Ok languages to the north (… CITE ….) It should be noted howevver that Aekyom /b/ reflects Elevala River /*m/ rather than/*b/, where the realization [mb] is more naturally viewed as a transitional stage, so this confluence is a latter-day phenomenon.
Voorhoeve's vowels differ from Depew's in that [æ ɛ] is treated as an allophone of low mid front /ɛ/ as distinguished from high mid front /e/, and he suggests a possible additional phoneme <ü> the precise value of which is not specified. Voorhoeve's southwest Awin vowels are realized in phonetic ranges as follows:
| phonetic | |
| i | i |
| u | u ʊ |
| e | e |
| o | ɔ o |
| ɛ | ɛ æ |
| a | a ɑ |
Comparative analysis of Voorhoeve's (2007) Awin dialects vis-a-vis proto-Elevala River values and those of Stewart's Aekyom shows proto-Aekyom to have had at least seven simple vowels with ranges as follows:
| *i | *u | |
| *e̝ | *o̝ | |
| *ɔ | ||
| *æ | *a |
| phonetic | |
| *i | i |
| *u | u ʊ ʉ |
| *e̝ | ɛ e |
| *o̝ | o u |
| *ɔ | ɔ o |
| *æ | æ ɛ |
| *a | a ɑ |
High tone and low tone are contrastive in stressed syllables, with their unstressed counterparts taking falling and rising tones respectively (Stewart 1989: 5-6.)
… colonial-era vocabularies which appeared in British New Guinea Annual Reports … Austen 1921-1922: 161, Austen 1924-1925: 75, Champion 1926-1927: 117 … original transcriptions …
| Aekyom | Amnat | Eastern Tedi | Western Fly | W. Donaldson | Upper Fly | Plain Country | |
| Stewart | Austen | Austen | Austen | Austen | Austen | Champion | |
| stone | ikɛ | ige | ige | ige | ik | ||
| woman | aɺa | ara | |||||
| arrow | æpinɛ | apine | apine | eppine | eppine | apin | epine |
| house | æwɛ | awe | awe | awe | awe | ||
| pig | minɛ | mine | mine | mine | mine | mini | |
| cassowary | monaⁱ | monai | monai | monai | monai | monai | |
| mouth | (m)gat-ɺam | kate-rame | kate-rame | mage-tem | gate | ||
| tooth | pʰɛtɛ | pede | pede | pette | pette | pfette | pete |
| star | pʰutɛ | pute | |||||
| bone | bɺin | birine | birine | ||||
| dog | psæn | bisane | bisane | bisane | bisane | ||
| shoulder | bɛkɛ ~ ᵐbɛkɛ ~ mɛkɛ | merge | berge | bekke | bekke | beke | |
| fish | bun | bune | bune | ||||
| cuirass | napu | napu | |||||
| ashes | ti | ti | |||||
| tongue | tʰi ~ t̪ʰi | ti | ti | ti | ti | te | ti |
| sun | tʰɛⁱ ~ tʰoⁱ ~ tʰi | te | te | te | tei | ||
| hair | ptɛnɛ ~ bi-mtɛn | tene | tene | tenne | mi-tten | ||
| earth/ground | tʰo | tor | |||||
| thorn | tʰu | tu | |||||
| Job's tears | tʰwoᵋ | tuwi | tuwi | ||||
| navel | dɛpi | depi | |||||
| sago | da ~ ⁿda ~ ⁿdaː | da | da | ||||
| fire/tree | doɛⁱ~dɛⁱ~doⁱ~di | de | de | de | di | dei | |
| island | dupi | dubi | |||||
| crocodile | dupɛ | dupe | |||||
| bow | dimin ~ dɛmin | dimin | dimin | dimene | dimenne | dimen | dimene |
| banana | dma | dema | dema | demma | |||
| net bag | d-moᵋ~d-moⁱ~d-moj | dumoi | dumoi | ||||
| lip(s) | twomɛ | duwome | duwome | dubome | bome | tapom | tobone (?) |
| sweet potato | sipɺo- | seprome | seprum | saburup | |||
| tobacco | skupɛ | sikube | sikube | s(i)kube | s(i)kube | sekupe | |
| bird | smiɛɺɛ ~ smiɺɛ ~ smɛɺɛ | simire | simeri | s(i)mere | semere | ||
| bamboo pipe | kʰɛtɛ | kerde | kette | kette | kette | ket | kete |
| ear | kʰɛndokɛ | keroke | keroke | kendoke | kerokke | kendoke | |
| arm | kɺitɛ | keride | keride | k(e)ride | kerede | kerinda | kenete |
| eye | … | keronge | keronge | kenonge | keronge | ||
| nose | … | kai | kai | kai | ke | kai | |
| skin | kʰatɛ | kate | kate | kate | kate | ||
| belly | gɛnɛ | gene | |||||
| taro | hwam | kwame (?) | kwame (?) | huwam | wam | oam | |
| water | waⁱ | wai | wai | wai | wai |
Stewart (1989: 49-50, 2016) gives pronouns for Lower Maeri River Aekyom in three case forms as follows, with Voorhoeve's (1975: 389-390) Awin forms presented for comparison:
| absolutive | poss./active | reflexive | subject | dep. poss. | indep. poss. | |
| Stewart | Stewart | Stewart | Voorhoeve | Voorhoeve | Voorhoeve | |
| 1 sg. | nɔ | nɔ-ø ~ n-a | næ | no | n-a | n-a-na |
| 2 sg. | gu | gu-a | kæ (?) | gu | go-a | go-a-na |
| 3 sg. | jɔ | j-a | jæ | jo | j-a | j-a-na |
| 1 pl. | kwjɔ | kwj-a | — | kyo | ku-a | ku-a-na |
| 2 pl. | gwjɔ | gwj-a | — | guo | gu-a | gu-a-na |
| 3 pl. | kɔ | k-a | — | ka | k-a | k-a-na |
| 1 dl. | ki | ki-a | — | ki | ki-a | ki-a-na |
| 2 dl. | gi | gi-a | — | gi | gi-a | gi-a-na |
| 3 dl. | ti | ti-a | — | ? | ? | ? |
(Morphemic analysis ours)
(Stewart's <q> shown as <k> since it is the destressed allophone of /k/ 1989: 10.)
(Note 2 sg. <go> McElhanon and Voorhoeve 1970: 62.)
Subjects of intransitive verbs take the unmarked (absolutive) form. Subjects of transitive verbs take the possessive/active form. In possessive phrases, these are preposed to the noun they modify.
[under construction]
….
[under construction]
….
…. /-kina/ … adjectives:
| -kina | |||
| weak/thin | ambɺoŋi-kina | ||
| sandy/soft | uː-kina | ||
| thievish | u-din-kina | ||
| bitter | mokɛ-kina | ||
| blunt | baɺu-kina | ||
| like that | ha-kina | ||
| old (of sago) | haɺu-kina | ||
| dead/dried up | ho-kina | ||
| emaciated | hogaⁱ-kina | ||
| black | hu-kina | ||
| light (weight) | hukwæ-kina | ||
| rotten (wood) | pupu-kina | ||
| powdery | titi-kina | ||
| sated | tiɛn-kina | ||
| blunt | tutu-kina | ||
| sharp pain | tutuɺɛ-kina | ||
| like | di-næ-kina | ||
| sago | da ~ ⁿda ~ ⁿdaː | pink | da-da-kina |
| blind | du-kina | ||
| without | dum-kina | ||
| white | dmɛ-kina | ||
| blind | dwoɺo-kina | ||
| weak | dɺop-kina | ||
| leaf | doɛⁱ woᵋ | green | dwoᵋ-dwoᵋ-kina |
| old | sa-kina | ||
| withered | smaɺu-kina | ||
| light brown | sɺi-kina | ||
| tobacco | skupɛ | red brown | sku-kina |
| bad | swo-kina | ||
| muddy | kipæ-kina | ||
| sorcery | kinjɛn-kina | ||
| blood | kʰapʰɔᵋ | red | kʰapʰɔᵋ-kina |
| white | kʰon-kina | ||
| small | kʰu-kina | ||
| crooked | k.-kʰwɛɺo-kina | ||
| slippery | kʰɺipɛ-kina | ||
| bow-legged | gægæn-kina | ||
| short | go-kina | ||
| dark patch | gungunt-kina | ||
| poorly cooked | gugut-kina | ||
| long/tall/thin | gɺi-kina | ||
| limbless | gɺumhoᵋ-kina | ||
| good | wænu-kina | ||
| well/distinct | joma | strong | jomɛ-kina |
The suffix /-kɺa/ derives what might be called attributive present participles. While derived from nominals, these terms, many of which involve reduplication of the root, indicate an action in process or an ongoing dynamic state, hence Stewart's (2016: 19) gloss /-k-/ “-ing (continuous).”. It is probable that this suffix should be analyzed as /-k-ɺa/ with /-ɺa/ present tense, as the plural form is /-k-ɺa-i / [-kɺaⁱ] (q.v. Stewart 1989: 37;) thus /-k-/ may be seen as a verbalizer:
| -k-ɺa | |||
| itchy | ikɛ-k-ɺa | ||
| jealous | æŋæn-k-ɺa | ||
| gasping | aːn-k-ɺa | ||
| doubtful | bubut-k-ɺa | ||
| say like that | ha-ɺ- | saying like that | ha-ɺin-k-ɺa |
| light (weight) | hukwæ(-kina) | ashamed | hukwæ-k-ɺa |
| be quiet | hmit-k-ɺa | ||
| cooking | hmɛn-k-ɺa | ||
| unhappy | pʰatɛ-k-ɺa | ||
| blinking | pʰu-pʰun-k-ɺa | ||
| heart | pʰɺoᵋ | sympathetic | pʰɺoᵋ-k-ɺa |
| mud | pkɛmɛ | wet | pkɛ-pkɛm-k-ɺa |
| forgetful | nonon-k-ɺa | ||
| numb | tæ-tæ-k-ɺa | ||
| resentful | tʰɺjan-k-ɺa | ||
| pain | tʰɺɛn | in pain | tʰɺɛn-k-ɺa |
| arriving | tʰæn-k-ɺa | ||
| about to go | tmæ-k-ɺa | ||
| sad faced | tʰotʰo-k-ɺa | ||
| hard | tuwa | hard | tu-k-ɺa |
| tired | dɺukin-k-ɺa | ||
| happy | sæn-k-ɺa | ||
| horn | sot-kɺo | proud | s.k. sot-kɺo-k-ɺa |
| sticking | ski-skin-k-ɺa | ||
| displaced | skɺip-k-ɺa | ||
| folded | skɺwæ-skɺwæ-k-ɺa | ||
| skipping | skwi-skwin-k-ɺa | ||
| sucking in | sɺim-sɺim-k-ɺa | ||
| immodest | sɺipɛ-kin-k-ɺa | ||
| lightning | kʰma | flashing | (kʰim-)kʰim-k-ɺa |
| huddled up | kin-kin-k-ɺa | ||
| wobbly | (k.-)kʰiɺin-k-ɺa | ||
| light (n.) | kʰæ(-m-ɺa) | become light | kʰæ-k-ɺa |
| impetigo | kæ-kæ-k-ɺa | ||
| pause/wait | kɺi-k-ɺa | ||
| sharp | kʰjoma | angry | kʰjom-k-ɺa |
| small | kʰu(-kina) | a little | kʰu-k-ɺa |
| hungry | gɛhmɛn-k-ɺa | ||
| hungry/thirsty | gaɺin-k-ɺa | ||
| loose | gɺjɛn-gɺjɛn-k-ɺa | ||
| cutting | gɺosin-k-ɺa | ||
| stiff | (wi-)wi-k-ɺa | ||
| vomit | wɛɺia | about to v. | wɛɺ-mæ-k-ɺa |
| angry | wæ-k-ɺa | ||
| unknowing | wo-wo-k-ɺa | ||
| moving | ɺi-ɺip-k-ɺa | ||
| well/distinct | joma | old/strong | (jo-)jom-k-ɺa |
…. /-ma/ … adverbs … infix [-ma-] glossed as “continuous intermittent action” (Stewart 2016: 20) …
| +-ma | |||
| know | bɺæ-ma | ||
| that | ha(-kina) | just | ha-ma |
| carefully | pʰit-ma | ||
| who? | di | towards | di-ma |
| good | duwa | correct | du-ma |
| bent | dɺi-ma | ||
| quickly | k(ʰ)at-ma | ||
| quickly | kʰɺjo-ma | ||
| greedy | gɺi-ma | ||
| wrong | wɛkɛ | crooked/false | wɛk-wɛk-ma |
| good | wænu(-kina) | well | wænu-ma |
…. /-m- ɺa/ [-m-ɺa -mna] … “to do something to an object” (Stewart 1989: 48) /-m-/ alone glossed as “to do or make previous action” … (2016: :
| +-m-ɺa ~ -mna | |||
| bend leg | æg-m-ɺa | ||
| turtle | ambum | make fist | ambu-mna |
| sharpen | an-m-ɺa | ||
| hook worm | at-m-ɺa | ||
| make different | atok-m-ɺa | ||
| going up | hatu-m-ɺa | ||
| hum | nu-nu-m-ɺa | ||
| close/press | tʰi-m-ɺa | ||
| step by step | ti-ti-m-ɺa | ||
| back | tʰik(-næ) | look after | tʰik-m-ɺa |
| take/hold | tʰæ(-ɺa) | sticky | tʰæ-tʰæ-m-ɺa |
| help | tʰap-m-ɺa | ||
| meet | tup-m-ɺa | ||
| see/sense | di | point | di-m-ɺa |
| good | duwa | make straight | du-m-ɺa ~ -mna |
| good | duwa | make good | du-du-m-ɺa |
| feeling for | dɺi-m-ɺa | ||
| pour | dɺip-m-ɺa | ||
| heat | suɺ-m-ɺa | ||
| shake | sɺjo-m-ɺa | ||
| light (n.) | kʰæ(-k-ɺa) | make light | kʰæ-m-ɺa |
| light fire | ka-mna | ||
| shake | koko-m-ɺa | ||
| light (n.) | kʰæ | make light | kʰæ-m-ɺa |
| crayfish | gaⁱ | embrace | gaⁱ-m-ɺa |
| greedy | gɺi(-ma) | squeeze | gɺi-gɺi-m-ɺa |
| good | wænu(-kina) | make good | wænu-m-ɺa |
Here /-ɺa/ may signify the present tense, as plural actors take /-m-ɺa-i/ [-m-ɺaⁱ]; thus /-m-/ may be identified as the causative formative:
| +-m-ɺa | +-m-ɺaⁱ | ||
| sticky | tʰæ-tʰæ-m-ɺa | take/hold (pl.) | tʰæ-tʰæ-m-ɺaⁱ |
…. [-na] … “having” …:
| +-na | |
| h. stood up | tʰi-na |
…. [-mgɺa] or, in a few instances as [-mgna] …
| +-mgɺa ~ -mgna | |||
| swallowed | aɺu-mgɺa | ||
| held/put in bag | ha-mgɺa | ||
| going down | hato-mgɺa | ||
| bite | tʰi-mgɺa | ||
| carried | da-mgɺa | ||
| pull down | skæ-mgɺa ~ skæ-mgna |
||
| remove/undo | gɺu- | take out/take off | gɺu-mgɺa |
| grown up | wi-mgɺa |
…. /-moᵋ/ … “work” …
| +-moᵋ | |||
| ant nest | hɺu-moᵋ | ||
| sago | da ~ ⁿda ~ ⁿdaː | sago bag | d-moᵋ~d-moⁱ~d-moj |
…. /-hoᵋ/ … “end” (Stewart 2016: 14) … …
| +-hoᵋ | |||
| buttocks | pʰu | headland | pʰu-hoᵋ |
| earth/ground | tʰo | world | tʰo hoᵋ hoᵋ |
| tree | doɛⁱ~dɛⁱ~doⁱ~di | stump | doɛⁱ hoᵋ |
| tail | sum | sacrum | sum hoⁱ [sic] |
…. /-bɺin/ … “bone” …
| +-bɺin | |
| spinal cord | bɛtɛ-bɺin |
| neck | kʰɛɺɛ-bɺin |
| lower spine | gɺa-bɺin |
…. /-kɺo/ [-kɺo ~ -kʰɺo] … “bone” …
| +-kɺo | |||
| body | butɛ | spine | butɛn kɺo |
| okari nut | hæwɛ | patella | hæwɛ-kɺo |
| knee | tʰama | patella | tama-kɺo |
| ground | tʰo | treeless land | tʰo kʰɺo |
| horn | sot-kɺo |
…. /-kin/ …
| +-kin |
…. /-inina/ … implement …
| +-inina | |||
| baling thing | tɺuɺ-inina | ||
| write | kʰim- | writing thing | kʰi-kʰim-inina |
…. /-gwotɛ/ …
| +-gwotɛ | |||
| upper arm | a-gwotɛ | ||
| bottle | ti-gwotɛ | ||
| neck | kʰɛɺɛ | cricoid | kʰɛ-gwotɛ |
| hand | kɺitɛ | elbow | kɺi-gwotɛ |
…. /-kɺu/ … “man” … Stewart (1989: CITE.)
| +-kɺu | |||
| bushman | ækɺimɛn kɺu | ||
| thievery | u-din(-kina) | thief | u-din kɺu |
| sorceror | hohomin kɺu | ||
| medium | dɺumɛdjɛn kɺu |
…. /-woᵋ/ … “leaf” …
| +-woᵋ | |||
| woman | aɺa | spider sp. | aɺa-woᵋ |
| hair of head | bin-woᵋ | ||
| grass skirt | nag-oᵋ ~ dag-oᵋ | ||
| Job's tears | tʰ-woᵋ | ||
| comb of fowl | dwi | crown of pigeon | d-woᵋ |
| tree | doɛⁱ~dɛⁱ~doⁱ~di | leaf | doɛⁱ woᵋ |
| shelter leaf | dɺɛ-woᵋ | ||
| strip of leaf | so | little boy | so-woᵋ |
| strip leaves | sɺu- | edible leaf | sɺu-woᵋ |
| thatch leaf | jɛm-woᵋ |
…. /-nam/ [-nam -ɺam] … “hole” or “inside” … mistakenly given as <am> “hole” in Stewart (2016: 2) … It is realized as [-nam] when following a vowel or nasal and as [-ɺam] when following a stop, after the final vowel of the root has been dropped as is regular in compounds … locations and some body parts …:
| V NV N | ø+-nam | ||
| hole | i-nam | ||
| slope | aɺu | valley | aɺu-nam |
| jungle | o-nam | ||
| pond | u-nam | ||
| waterfall | (u)tu-nam | ||
| eggshell | tjoᵘ ~ tjowɛ | inside | tjo-nam |
| origin | tʰɛ-nam | ||
| grave | tʰo gjɛn | well | tʰo gjɛ-nam |
| swallow | djomg- | throat | djomgɛ-nam |
| old | sa(-kina) | old garden | sa-nam |
| place | su-nam | ||
| nose | kʰi(-nætɛ) | nostril(s) | kʰi-nam |
| eye | kʰɺon | face | kʰɺo-nam |
| inner ear | kʰɛhɛ-nam | ||
| ulcer | ka-nam | ||
| between digits | kʰmo-nam | ||
| esophagus | kɺæ-kɺæk-nam | ||
| exrement | gɛnɛ | anus | gɛ-nam |
| bow-legged | gægæn(-kina) | back of knee | gægæ-namɛ |
| garden | gwɛ-nam | ||
| perforation | jɛ-nam | ||
| CV | C+-ɺam | ||
| armpit | akut-ɺam | ||
| in mouth | (m)gat-ɺam | ||
| in/under | buk-ɺam | ||
| air | hopi | between | hop-ɺam |
| rim of bag | tɛmpokɛ | side of basket | tɛmpok-ɺam |
| face | tok-ɺam | ||
| under | tʰuk-ɺam | ||
| limestone | ditɛ | cave | dit-ɺam |
| inside | kup(ʰ)-ɺam | ||
| under | gipɛ | under | gip-ɺam |
…. /-næ/ … “place” … some body parts …
| +-næ | |||
| alveolar ridge | it-næ | ||
| room | æmbi-næ | ||
| birthplace | æ-su-næ | ||
| rope fr. rafter | bɺiŋ | clavicle | bɺiŋ-næ |
| back | tʰik-næ | ||
| ground | tʰo | place/country | tʰo-næ |
| eating place | di-næ | ||
| bearer(s) | hmin di-næ | ||
| temple | dati-næ | ||
| tail | sum |  pubic shell | su-næ |
| bird | smi(ɛ)ɺɛ | bird blind | smi-næ |
| loop of string | kʰɺoŋ-næ | ||
| fontanelle | gi-næ | ||
| rib/side | gunɛ | shore/bank | gu-næ |
| on toes | g. gjawɛ-næ | ||
| women's section | ɺu-næ | ||
| thumb/five | jæm | many | jæ-næ |
…. /-nætɛ/ … “for the reason of” (Stewart 2016: 21) …
| +-nætɛ | |||
| flat | hmɛna | plains | hmjɛ-nætɛ |
| good | duwa | right (side) | du-nætɛ |
| nose | kʰi(-nam) | in front of | kʰi-nætɛ |
| wrong | wɛkɛ | left | wɛk-nætɛ |
…. /-num/ …
| +-num | |||
| sun | tʰɛⁱ ~ tʰoⁱ~ tʰi | in the sun | tʰɛⁱ-num |
| middle | duɺɛ | spinal cord | duɺɛ-num |
…. /-naⁱ/ … species names, which Depew (1986: 270, 341, 349) characterizes as “an indicator of association (e. g., identity, ownership, etc. )” meaning “belonging to” or “identify with”:
| +-naⁱ | |||
| mother's br. | mom | cassowary | mo-naⁱ |
| tree sp. | tkinɛ | bird sp. | tki-naⁱ |
| scrub hen | dja-naⁱ | ||
| insect sp. | sisik-naⁱ | ||
| hawk | sadɺik-naⁱ | ||
| bird sp. | sok-naⁱ | ||
| pubic shell | su-næ | mussel sp. | su-naⁱ |
| small hawk | suɛp-naⁱ | ||
| eagle | ku-naⁱ ~ ku-noⁱ | ||
| flying phalanger | wasɛk-naⁱ |
…. /-dwɛn/ … “closing of, afternoon” (Stewart 2016: 9) or “late afternoon; early evening” (Depew 1986: 350):
| +-dwɛn | |||
| hole | i-nam | door | i-nam dwɛn |
| heat | æk | dry season | æ-dwɛn |
| room | ɺi | wall/partition | ɺi-dwɛn |
…. /-su/ … “after when” … /su/ “between the roots of a tree, stump” … (Stewart 2016: 28) …
| +-su | |||
| house | æwɛ | birthplace | æ-su(-næ) |
| all the time | æpɛ-su | ||
| everything | hamo | afterwards | hamo-su |
| afternoon | dwɛn | evening | dwɛn-su |
| in awhile | kɺika-su | ||
| now/today | (æ-)kwa | now | kʰwa-su |
…. /-kɛ/ … “egg, fruit, seeds” (Stewart 2016: 16) …
| +-kɛ | |||
| tongue | tʰi ~ t̪ʰi | spittle | ti-kɛ |
| eggshell | tjoᵘ~ tjowɛ | bait | tjo-kɛ |
…. /-kɛ/ …
| +-kɛ | |||
| half/side | bɺæ-kɛ | ||
| this | hi | hither | hi-kɛ |
| that | ha(-kina) | then | ha-kɛ |
| who? | di | whither? | di-kɛ |
| when? | di-kɺo-kɛ |
…. /-kan/ … indicates a place as opposed to a direction /-kɛ/ (above) …
| +-kan | |||
| this | hi | here | hi-kan |
| that | ho | there (near) | ho-kan |
| right here | pʰi-kan | ||
| who? | di | where? | di-kan |
| over there | wa | over there | wa-kan |
…. /-gitɛ/ … “side” … glossed “to the side of” (Stewart 2016: 10) …
| +-gitɛ | |||
| house | æwɛ | village | æ-gitɛ |
| half/side | bɺæ(-kɛ) | other side | bɺa-gitɛ |
| cover (n.) | gɺæ | outside | gɺæ-gitɛ |
…. /-wa/ …
| +-wa | |||
| this | hi | here | hi-wa |
| who? | di | where? | di-wa |
| there to side | wæ-wa | ||
| over there | wa | over there | wa-wa |
[under construction]
Aekyom final verbs … Persons of either subjects or objects are not indicated on the verb. Stem forms vary by number of undergoer and tense/mood/aspect … two classes … as follows:
| sg. | sg. | pl. | pl. | |
| I | II | I | II | |
| middle past | -ɛ | -a | -ɛⁱwi | -æwi |
| distant past | -itɛ | -ɛtɛ | -iti | -ɛti |
| present | -ɺa | -ɺa | -ɺaⁱ | -ɺaⁱ |
| future | -i | -ɛ | -ɺɛⁱki | -ɺɛⁱki |
| purposive | -iɺa | -ɛɺa | -wɛɺa | -wɛɺa |
| subjunctive | -mawɛ | -mawɛ | -mawɛ | -mawɛ |
(the paradigms labeled here as purposive and subjunctive are glossed by Stwart as “want to” and “shall I?” respectively.)
The tense glossed as present is also used for the immediate past (Stewart 1989: 39.)
It may be seen that ….
Stewart (1989, n.d.: no page number) exemplifies eight of these final paradigms for 23 Lower Maeri River Aekyom verb roots in both singular and plural. Singular forms are given as follows:
| stem | middle past | distant past | present | future | purposive | subjunctive | |
| sɛm | sɛmsɔŋ | ækwa | hamɔsu | -mawɛ | -diɺa | ||
| class I | -ɛ | -itɛ | -ɺa | -i | -iɺa | -mawɛ | |
| eat | ˈd- | ˈd-ɛ | ˈd-itɛ | ˈd-ɺa | ˈd-i | ˈd-iɺa | ˈd-mawɛ |
| cross over | k(ʰ)- | kʰ-ɛ | kʰ-itɛ | kʰ-ɺa | kʰ-i | kʰ-iɺa | kʰ-mawɛ |
| read | hiæk- | hiæk-ɛ | hiæk-itɛ | hiæk-ɺa | hiæk-i | hiæk-iɺa | hiæk-mawɛ |
| run | hwɛmg- | hwɛmg-ɛ | hwɛmg-itɛ | hwɛmg-ɺa | hwɛmg-i | hwɛmg-iɺa | hwɛmg-mawɛ |
| gather | tæɺ- | tæɺ-ɛ | tæɺ-itɛ | tæɺ-ɺʲa | tæɺ-i | tæɺ-iɺa | tæɺ-mawɛ |
| pain | tɺɛɺ- | tɺɛɺ-ɛ | tɺɛɺ-itɛ | tɺɛɺ-ɺʲa | tɺɛɺ-i | tɺɛɺ-iɺa | tɺɛɺ-mawɛ |
| rain | suɺ- | suɺ-ɛ | suɺ-itɛ | suɺ-ɺʲa | suɺ-i | suɺ-iɺa | suɺ-mawɛ |
| class I/II | -a | -itɛ | -ɺa | -i | -iɺa | -mawɛ | |
| make | hɔm- | hɔm-a | hɔm-itɛ | hɔm-ɺa | hɔm-i | hɔm-iɺa | hɔm-mawɛ |
| class II | -a | -ɛtɛ | -ɺa | -ɛ | -ɛɺa | -mawɛ | |
| sit | p- | p-a | p-ɛtɛ | p-ɺa | p-ɛ | p-ɛɺa | p-mawɛ |
| go along | t- | t-a | t-ɛtɛ | t-ɺa | t-ɛ | t-ɛɺa | t-mawɛ |
| stand | h- | h-a | h-ɛtɛ | h-ɺa | h-ɛ | h-ɛɺa | h-mawɛ |
| go down | sj- | sj-a | sj-ɛtɛ | sj-ɺa | sj-ɛ | sj-ɛɺa | s-mʲawɛ |
| say | tj- | tj-a | tj-ɛtɛ | tj-ɺa | tj-ɛ | tj-ɛɺa | t-mʲawɛ |
| kill | j- | j-a | j-ɛtɛ | j-ɺa | j-ɛ | j-ɛɺa | ø-mʲawɛ |
| build | ti- | ti-a | ti-ɛtɛ | ti-ɺa | ti-ɛ | ti-ɛɺa | ti-mawɛ |
| dig | gi- | gi-a | gi-ɛtɛ | gi-ɺa | gi-ɛ | gi-ɛɺa | gi-mawɛ |
| sing | ˈgi- | ˈgi-a | ˈgi-ɛtɛ | ˈgi-ɺa | ˈgi-ɛ | ˈgi-ɛɺa | ˈgi-mawɛ |
| chop | gɺi- | gɺi-a | gɺi-ɛtɛ | gɺi-ɺa | gɺi-ɛ | gɺi-ɛɺa | gɺi-mawɛ |
| cut | ki- | ki-a | ki-ɛtɛ | ki-ɺa | ki-ɛ | ki-ɛɺa | ki-mawɛ |
| see | di- | di-a | di-ɛtɛ | di-ɺa | di-ɛ | di-ɛɺa | di-mawɛ |
| get/take | si- | si-a | si-ɛtɛ | si-ɺa | si-ɛ | si-ɛɺa | si-mawɛ |
| die | pu- | pu-a | pu-ɛtɛ | pu-ɺa | pu-ɛ | pu-ɛɺa | pu-mawɛ |
| lying down | æ- | æ-a | æ-ɛtɛ | æ-ɺa | æ-ɛ | æ-ɛɺa | æ-mawɛ |
(Some minor inconsistencies in Stewart's representations have been regularized.)
Plural forms are given as follows:
| stem | middle past | distant past | present | future | purposive | subjunctive | |
| sɛm | sɛmsɔŋ | ækwa | hamɔsu | -diɺa | -mawɛ | ||
| class I | -ɛⁱwi | -iti | -ɺaⁱ | -ɺɛⁱki | -wɛɺa | -mawɛ | |
| eat | ˈd- | ˈd-ɛⁱwi | ˈd-iti | ˈd-ɺaⁱ | ˈd-ɺɛⁱki | ˈd-wɛɺa | ˈd-mawɛ |
| cross over | k(ʰ)- | k-ɛⁱwi | k-iti | k-ɺaⁱ | k-ɺɛⁱki | k-wɛɺa | k-mawɛ |
| read | hjæk- | hjæk-ɛⁱwi | hjæk-iti | hjæk-ɺaⁱ | hjæk-ɺɛⁱki | hjæk-wɛɺa | hjæk-mawɛ |
| run | hwɛmk- | — | hwɛmk-iti | hwɛmk-ɺaⁱ | hwɛmk-ɺɛⁱki | hwɛmk-wɛɺa | hwɛmk-mawɛ |
| gather | tæɺ- | tæɺ-ɛⁱwi | tæɺ-iti | tæɺ-ɺʲaⁱ | tæɺ-ɺɛⁱki | tæɺ-wɛɺa | tæɺ-mawɛ |
| pain | tɺɛɺ- | tɺɛɺ-ɛⁱwi | tɺɛɺ-iti | tɺɛɺ-ɺʲaⁱ | tɺɛɺ-ɺɛⁱki | tɺɛɺ-wɛɺa | tɺɛɺ-mawɛ |
| rain | suɺ- | suɺ-ɛⁱwi | suɺ-iti | suɺ-ɺʲaⁱ | suɺ-ɺɛⁱki | suɺ-wɛɺa | suɺ-mawɛ |
| class I/II | -æwi | -iti | -ɺaⁱ | -ɺɛⁱki | -wɛɺa | -mawɛ | |
| make | hɔm- | hɔm-æwi | hɔm-iti | hɔm-ɺaⁱ | hɔm-ɺɛⁱki | hɔm-wɛɺa | hɔm-mawɛ |
| class II | -æwi | -ɛti | -ɺaⁱ | -ɺɛⁱki | -wɛɺa | -mawɛ | |
| sit | p- | p-æwi | p-ɛti | p-ɺaⁱ | p-ɺɛⁱki | p-wɛɺa | p-mawɛ |
| go along | t- | t-æwi | t-ɛti | t-ɺaⁱ | t-ɺɛⁱki | t-wɛɺa | t-mawɛ |
| stand | h- | h-æwi | h-ɛti | h-ɺaⁱ | h-ɺɛⁱki | h-wɛɺa | h-mawɛ |
| go down | sj- | sj-æwi | sj-ɛti | s-ɺʲaⁱ | s-ɺʲɛⁱki | sj-wɛɺa | sj-mawɛ |
| say | tj- | tj-æwi | tj-ɛti | t-ɺʲaⁱ | t-ɺʲɛⁱki | tj-wɛɺa | tj-mawɛ |
| kill | j- | j-æwi | j-ɛti | ø-ɺʲaⁱ | ø-ɺʲɛⁱki | j-wɛɺa | j-mawɛ |
| build | ti- | ti-æwi | ti-ɛti | ti-ɺaⁱ | ti-ɺɛⁱki | ti-wɛɺa | ti-mawɛ |
| dig | gi- | gi-æwi | gi-ɛti | gi-ɺaⁱ | gi-ɺɛⁱki | gi-wɛɺa | gi-mawɛ |
| sing | ˈgi- | gi-æwi | gi-ɛti | gi-ɺaⁱ | gi-ɺɛⁱki | gi-wɛɺa | gi-mawɛ |
| chop | gɺi- | gɺi-æwi | gɺi-ɛti | gɺi-ɺaⁱ | gɺi-ɺɛⁱki | gɺi-wɛɺa | gɺi-mawɛ |
| cut | ki- | ki-æwi | ki-ɛti | ki-ɺaⁱ | ki-ɺɛⁱki | ki-wɛɺa | ki-mawɛ |
| see | di- | di-æwi | di-ɛti | di-ɺaⁱ | di-ɺɛⁱki | di-wɛɺa | di-mawɛ |
| get/take | si- | si-æwi | si-ɛti | si-ɺaⁱ | si-ɺɛⁱki | si-wɛɺa | si-mawɛ |
| die | pu- | pu-æwi | pu-ɛti | pu-ɺaⁱ | pu-ɺɛⁱki | pu-wɛɺa | pu-mawɛ |
| lying down | æ- | æ-æwi | æ-ɛti | æ-ɺaⁱ | æ-ɺɛⁱki | æ-wɛɺa | æ-mawɛ |
(Some minor inconsistencies in Stewart's representations have been regularized.)
For comparison, Voorhoeve (1975: 389-390) gives inflections of /pʰ-/ “sit” as follows:
| present | future | perfective | purposive | |
| singular | pʰra | pʰi | pʰɛrɛ | pʰɛra |
| plural | pʰrae | pʰrɛki | pʰɛri | pʰuɛra |
[under construction]
According to Healey (1964: 111) states that Awin has a body part counting system up to 35 (i.e. apex is 18) ….
| left side | right side | |||
| 1 | 23 | |||
| 2 | 22 | |||
| 3 | 21 | |||
| index finger | 4 | itkɛⁱ-sin | 20 | |
| thumb | 5 | jæm-sin | 19 | |
| wrist | 6 | tu-sin | 18 | |
| 7 | 17 | |||
| 8 | 16 | |||
| upper arm | 9 | agwotɛ-sin | 15 | agwotɛ -bɺæ-kɛ-sin |
| 10 | 14 | |||
| 11 | 13 | |||
| 12 | — | — |
[under construction]
….