Mandobo language

Mandobo, or Kaeti, is a Papuan language of Mandobo District in Boven Digoel Regency and Ulilin District in Merauke Regency, South Papua, Indonesia.

Varieties

Ethnologue distinguishes two languages:

• Mandobo Bawah, spoken on the Lower Mandobo River
• Mandobo Atas, spoken on the Upper Mandobo River

However, according to its speaker Mandobo is divided to at least three languages and four dialects.

• Upper Mandobo (Mountain Wambon) [aax]
• Kokenop/Kohonope
• Agayop
• Central Mandobo (Coastal Wambon)
• Ulugela/Lugerah/Iwammup/Kenerame
• Lower Mandobo (Lower Wambon) [bwp]
• Tekamerop/Thegamonok

Phonology

Vowels

Consonants

Evolution

Below are some Kaeti reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea proposed by Pawley (2012), drawn from McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970).

Further reading

• Jang, Hong-Tae. 2003. Survey report on languages of southeastern foothills in Papua Merauke Regency of Papua, Indonesia. Manuscript.
• Lebold, Randy, Ronald Kriens and Yunita Susanto. 2013. A Report on the Bamgi, Kia, and Lower Digul River Language Survey in Papua, Indonesia. SIL International.

References

External links

• Mandobo at the Awyu–Ndumut research group at VU University Amsterdam