Siawi

MMP

threatened

Alternate Names: Musa, Musan, Musian, Siafli, Siwai

Dialects: None known. Lexical similarity: 29% with Amto ,. Amto , and Siawi 3% lexical similarity with Odiai ,. Both average 7% lexical similarity with Arai (Left May) languages.

Genealogy:

Amto-Musan

Demographics: 220 (2007 NTM), increasing.

Language Use: Endangered (2000 S. Wurm). All ages. Positive attitudes. Also use Amto [amt] (adult men). Also use Tok Pisin [tpi]. Used as L2 by Amto [amt].

Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 50%. Literacy rate in L2: 50% in Tok pisin [tpi]. Most children literate. Bible portions: 1992–1998.

Typology: SOV; postpositions, genitives before noun heads; adjectives after noun heads; relatives without noun heads; question word final; maximum prefixes: 1, maximum suffixes: 3, causatives; comparatives; CV, CVV, CVVV, CCV, CCCV; nontonal.

Writing System: Latin

Nation of Origin: Papua New Guinea

Other Comments: Christian, traditional religion.