The Leonhard Schultze languages were traditionally classified by Laycock and Z'graggen (1975) as part of the Sepik language family.[1]
Foley (2018) classifies the Leonhard Schultze languages separately as an independent language family rather than as part of the Sepik languages (as in previous classifications proposed by others).[2] However, this classification is not accepted by Glottolog, which splits up the Walio and Papi branches and considers them each to be a primary language family.
Vocabulary comparison
The following basic vocabulary words are from Conrad and Dye (1975),[3] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.[4]
The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. tiᵽo, tipafu for “head”) or not (e.g. aᵽayo, toefahewa for “skin”).
^Laycock, D. C. and Z'graggen, John A. 1975. The Sepik-Ramu Phylum. In Wurm, S.A. (ed.), Papuan Languages and the New Guinea Linguistic Scene, New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study 1, 729-763. Australian National University.
^Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN978-3-11-028642-7.
