The Nukuma languages are a small family of three clearly related languages: They are generally classified among the Sepik languages of northern Papua New Guinea; Malcolm Ross places them in a Middle Sepik branch of that family. They are spoken to the north of the Sepik River near Ambunti, and west of the Ambulas-speaking region of Mapr (near Wosera town).

Pronouns

Pronouns in Nukuma languages: ! pronoun ! Kwoma ! Mende ! 1SG ! 2SG.M ! 2SG.F ! 3SG.M ! 3SG.F ! 1DU ! 2DU ! 3DU ! 1PL ! 2PL ! 3PL

Vocabulary comparison

The following basic vocabulary words are from Foley (2005) and Laycock (1968), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database. The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. masək, masiki for “head”) or not (e.g. miːma, nogəpie for “woman”). ! gloss !! Kwoma !! Mende ! head ! ear ! eye ! nose ! tooth ! tongue ! leg ! louse ! dog ! pig ! bird ! egg ! blood ! bone ! skin ! breast ! tree ! man ! woman ! sun ! moon ! water ! fire ! stone ! name ! eat ! one ! two