[Papuanlanguages] 'Eating water' and elsewhere: a summary

[John Roberts]

> The existence of a single 'ingest/consume' verb was pointed out for the 
> following languages:


> Kalam (Kalam-Kobon) - Andy Pawley
> Yahang (Torricelli) - Colin Filer
> Ku Waru (East New Guinea Highlands) - Alan Rumsey
> Duna (Duna-Bogaya) - Lila San Roque
> Kewa (Engan) - Karl Franklin
> Orokaiva (Binanderean) - Lise Dobrin
> Korafe Yegha and Tafota Baruga (Binanderean) - Cindi Farr
> Arapeshan languages (Torricelli) - Lise Dobrin
> Biangai (Goilalan) - Ngawae Mitio
> Alamblak (Sepik Hill) - Les Bruce
> Koromu (Evapia group, Rai Coast, Madang)- Carol Priestley
> Awiyakay (Arafundi) - Darja Hoenigman

You can add Amele (Madang) to this list. This language also has a single 
'ingest/consume' verb. Common uses are to ingest food, water and tobacco (to 
smoke). Its cognate is realized in most of the Mabuso languages of Madang 
Province. An idiomatic expression literally 'to consume a woman' means 'to 
marry a woman'. Amele also has separate lexical means of expressing 'to be 
hungry' and 'to be thirsty'.

John Roberts

... observing from afar

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John R Roberts
SIL International Linguistics Consultant
dr_john_roberts at sil.org
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