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A Grammar of Ma Manda a Papuan Language of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea

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A Grammar of Ma Manda a Papuan Language of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Pennington, Ryan (2016) A grammar of Ma Manda a Papuan language of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/48926/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/48926/ A grammar of Ma Manda A Papuan language of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea by Ryan Pennington Thesis submitted to The Language and Culture Research Centre College of Arts, Society and Education James Cook University, Cairns, Australia in fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the discipline of Linguistics May 2016 Disclaimer I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university or other institution of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. As the copyright owner of this thesis, I grant James Cook University a permanent non- exclusive licence to store, display or copy any or all of the thesis, in all forms of media, for use within the University, and to make the thesis freely available online to other persons or organisations. I do not wish to place any restriction on access to this work. The research presented and reported in this thesis was conducted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, 2007. The research study proposal received human research ethics approval from the JCU Human Research Ethics Committee on 4 Feb 2015, Approval ID H6045. Ryan Pennington For my Cs— For the one I lost in dusk and doubt. For the one who came in mourning. For the three who held me through the night. And the One who gave me morning. iii Acknowledgements A correlation exists between the magnitude of an achievement and the number of people required to realize that achievement. As my dreams and successes have multiplied, so has the web of interconnected relationships which supports me. I am the recipient of far too many benefactors to name. These people and organizations have given me advice, knowledge, money, trust, encouragement, forgiveness, and especially that eternally hoarded resource— time. First and foremost, I thank my supervisors at the Language and Culture Research Centre of James Cook University. Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald has been my most generous advocate and mentor during my time in Cairns. She is unparalleled in her knowledge of even the most intricate of linguistic details in the literature, and was openhanded with her encyclopedic knowledge. R. M. W. Dixon has been an ever-present source of firm guidance in a constantly-changing field of research. It is his monumental research in Basic Linguistic Theory which enabled my own research to be transparent and linked to the worldwide body of knowledge built up over millennia. Valérie Guérin is a friend who offered frequent encouragement, always reminding me that my life does not hinge on a single analysis, chapter, or thesis. These three supervisors deserve much of the accolades from this thesis, as it is only by their prodding that I am finished with the project today. Second, I thank SIL International, a praiseworthy organization composed of many sacrificial and honorable men and women. As a member of SIL (particularly its Papua New Guinea branch) for the duration of my research and study, I can say with authority that their work is valuable. I simply cannot begin to list everyone within SIL who has served me and my family during my last nine years as an SIL member. I would like to single out René van den Berg, however, for his gracious mentorship in my life. Next, I thank the Ma Manda people. They welcomed me and my wife into Saut Village in 2009, and forged the deepest of ties with us over the following months and years. They patiently taught us to speak their language, to cook their food, to walk barefoot, to heal wounds with stinging nettle, to carry our babies in string bags, and, especially, to slow down and relax. Saut is a magical place in my eyes, so disconnected from much of the stressors of my own life wrapped in my western baggage. As I slept in the moonlight and listened to laughter through bamboo walls, I saw the splendidly simple joys of humanity. I am forever changed by these people who took me in and gave me so much more than I can repay. iv Specifically, I thank Garambon Magu and his family. He has been my primary coworker over the years, dedicating his valuable time to this research. I thank Doyang Yambarum, into whose family I was adopted, and on whose land I was housed. I also thank Tuboin Bangam and Josep Pange, both of whom generously accompanied Garambon to SIL’s Ukarumpa Centre for month-long work trips. I also thank the numerous men, women, and children who let me attach microphones to their heads and record their stories—the fantastical and the mundane alike. This project belongs more to them than anyone, and it is my sincere hope that it will benefit them in a myriad of ways in the future. Next, I thank my family. My wife Crystal is behind all my successes, always believing in my ability to accomplish the tasks set before me. I’d throw it all away to return the favor— just watch. My three children constantly remind me of life’s more important things. I am so glad to once again have the time to devote to them. I need to pay them back for those late nights at work, and with interest. My father, Mark Pennington, was so excited for me to study linguistics, and was incredibly proud that I was pursuing a doctorate degree. After his life was cut short, I hope this thesis stands to honor his legacy. My mother, Karen Pennington, is an enduring example of loyalty and unconditional love. I hope I will continue to make her proud as I try to live up to her example. Finally, I thank a portion of the others who participated in my success. A number of fellow members of the LCRC at JCU contributed frequently through lively discussions, careful editing of chapter drafts, insightful questions, and words of encouragement. These include Grant Aiton, Angeliki Alvanoudi, Azeb Amha, Juliane Böttger, Elena Mihas, Colleen Oates, Howard Oates, Jolene Overall, Simon Overall, Nick Piper, Hannah Sarvasy, James Slotta, and Kasia Wojtylak, among others. I also want to specifically thank Amanda Parsonage, whose administrative efforts got me to Cairns and kept me there! v Abstract This is a grammar of Ma Manda, a language of Papua New Guinea, which covers major aspects of this previously undescribed language. The analysis is supported by culturally- embedded examples from a recorded text corpus. The result is a comprehensive preservation of this endangered language for its speakers, and for linguistic and anthropological scholars working in the Papuan arena. vi Table of Contents Disclaimer .................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................. iv Abstract ..................................................................................................... vi List of tables ............................................................................................ xiv Lists of figures, maps, and pictures ..................................................... xvii Conventions .......................................................................................... xviii Abbreviations ......................................................................................... xxi PART I: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1 1 The language and its people ............................................................... 2 1.1 Geography & demography .................................................................. 2 1.2 Culture ................................................................................................. 8 1.2.1 The village .............................................................................. 8 1.2.2 Economy ............................................................................... 11 1.2.3 The Church & the Ma Manda worldview ............................. 11 1.2.4 History .................................................................................. 14 1.2.5 Gardening & hunting ............................................................ 14 1.2.6 Kinship .................................................................................. 16 1.2.7 Names ................................................................................... 17 1.2.8 Marriage ................................................................................ 18 1.2.9 Birth ...................................................................................... 20 1.2.10 Death ..................................................................................... 21 1.2.11 Other ceremonies .................................................................. 21 1.3 Ma Manda language .......................................................................... 22 1.3.1 Language name ....................................................................
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