Mairasi language
Mairasi is a Papuan language of the Bomberai Peninsula of West Papua, Indonesia.
The Northeastern dialect may be a distinct language.
Distribution
Locations:- Kaimana Regency
- *Interior villages: Umbran, Jamna Fata, Matna, Tarwata, Sara, Kasira, Orai, Wangatnau, Faranyau, and Sarifan
- *Coastal villages: Sisir, Foroma Jaya, Warasi, Lobo, Lomira, Morona, Nanggwaromi, Omay, and Warika
- Teluk Wondama Regency
- *Naikere District villages: Sararti, Oya, Yabore, Wosimo, Undurara, and Inyora
Pronouns
Mairasi possessor prefixes are:Morphology
Case markers
Noun phrase case markers in Mairasi:- instrumental suffix -t
- locative postposition ar
- allative postposition ev
Possessors
Mairasi possessor prefixes:Examples of inalienable possessors:
Directionals
Mairasi has two directional suffixes, which are only used with movement verbs.- -aʔi ‘up, inland’
- -ari ‘down, seaward’
Animacy
Animacy is marked by the adjective modifier n-, as exemplified by the contrast in the following two noun phrases.Vowel changes can modify the number of animate nouns: