Lower Ramu languages

The Lower Ramu or Ottilien–Misegian languages consist of two branches in the Ramu language family. They are all spoken in Yawar Rural LLG, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.

The Lower Ramu languages as classified by Usher and by Foley (2018) are:

Lower Ramu languages

• Ottilien languages
  • Watam, Kaian
  • Gamay (Borei)
  • Bosmun, Awar
• Misegian languages (Ruboni languages)
  • Mikarew (Aruamu)
  • Sepen, Kirei

Lower Ramu as presented in Foley (2018) has been reduced in scope from the classification given in Foley (2005), which is as follows.

Lower Ramu

• Watam-Awar-Gamay (WAG) = Ottilien
  • Watam, Kaian
  • Gamay
  • Bosmun, Awar
• Mikarew-Kire (MK) = Misegian (Ruboni)
• Tangu, Igom

The Ataitan languages, including Tangu and Igom, are not included in Foley (2018).

Tentative proto-Lower Ramu pronoun reconstructions by Foley (2005) are:

Like cognates between proto-Lower Sepik and proto-Lower Ramu listed by Foley (2005) are:

• Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. doi:10.15144/PL-572. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.

• Paris, Brian. 2015. A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Lower Ramu Languages of Papua New Guinea. SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2015-009.