Waris language

Waris or Walsa is a Papuan language of northern New Guinea. There are about 2,500 native speakers. It uses the Latin writing system. The language features monophthong, diphthong, and triphthong vowels.

Demography

Waris is spoken by about 2,500 people around Wasengla, Doponendi ward, Walsa Rural LLG, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea, and also by about 1,500 across the border in Waris District, Keerom Regency in the Indonesian province of Papua.

Phonology

Vowels

Monophthongs

Diphthongs and triphthongs

There are two triphthongs, and.

Consonants

Classifiers

Classifier prefixes in Waris attach to verbs, and are determined via the physical properties of the object noun phrase being referred to. Many of them have parallels with independent verb roots, which may well be where they had originated from. Examples include:
Many of these prefixes have lexical parallels with verb roots. The list of classifier prefixes is: