The Lower Sepik a.k.a. NorâÂÂPondo languages are a small language family of East Sepik Province in northern Papua New Guinea. They were identified as a family by K Laumann in 1951 under the name NorâÂÂPondo, and included in Donald Laycock's now-defunct 1973 SepikâÂÂRamu family.
The original conception of the family, under the name NorâÂÂPondo, is as follows:
Malcolm Ross (2005) broke up the Nor branch (and thus renamed the family Lower Sepik) because Murik does not share the characteristic s of the first- and second-person pronouns of Kopar and the Pondo languages, so the latter may form a group: Murik vs KoparâÂÂPondo. Ross classified Lower Sepik as one branch of a RamuâÂÂLower Sepik language family.
Foley (2005) tentatively proposes that Chambri and Angoram may be primary branches: Nor, Chambari, KarawariâÂÂYimas, Angoram. Usher, following Foley, keeps Nor together and breaks up Pondo. Neither accept the connection to Ramu.
Foley (2018) and Usher (2020) agree on the following classification.
Foley notes that Angoram appears to be closer to MurikâÂÂKopar, and Chambri to KarawariâÂÂYimas, but Foley (2018: 213) leaves them as separate branches pending further evidence.
Except for Yimas-Karawari, Lower Sepik languages typically have the following six-vowel system.
Yimas-Karawari has only four vowels.
The pronouns reconstructed for the proto-language are,
A phonological reconstruction of proto-Lower Sepik has been proposed by Foley (2005). Foley's (2005) lexical reconstructions are provided below.
For comparisons with the language isolate Tayap, see Tayap language#Classification.