The Seimat language is one of three Western Admiralty Islands languages, the other two being Wuvulu-Aua and the extinct Kaniet. The language is spoken by approximately 1000 people on the Ninigo and the Anchorite Islands in western Manus Province of Papua New Guinea.^[2] It has subject–verb–object (SVO) word order.^[2]

Names

The alternate names for Seimat are Admiralitäts-inseln and Ninigo.^[3]

Phonology

Numbers

Seimat has a quinary numeral system; numbers from one to five are unique, whereas most all other numbers are simply combinations of these. For example, numbers from six to nine are compounds based on five, combined with the words for one to four. Twenty is also a unique word, meaning "person"; it presumably refers to a full set of fingers and toes.^[5]

References

Further reading

• Wozna, B.; Wilson, T. (2005), Seimat Grammar Essentials (PDF), Data Papers on Papua New Guinea Languages, volume 48, Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: Summer Institute of Linguistics

External links

• Kaipuleohone has recordings and written materials for Seimat

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