Wantoat love poem
Nomna kaaing san
Tuwanga aminom kaing san kalang
Uun natne kaun nomaam siknga,
Nga nan zeeat wena zeeat sinangegaak,
Apmanu wenga na gee butangaat takngaan.
→ French poem ←
The Wantoat
My little love poem is here translated into Wantoat (Taap, Wapu (Leron), Awara, Bam, Central Wantoat, Yagawak (Kandomin), Irumu).
Wantoat is a Finisterre language (Finisterre Mountains), of the district of Markham, in the Morobe province in Papua New Guinea.
This Papuan (non-Melanesian) language of the Huon peninsula (in the upper reaches of the Leron River), is not yet precisely classified.
Awara and Wapu are its two dialects with the most speakers.
The differences between its dialects arise both in terms of vocabulary and pronunciation, but nevertheless leave intercomprehension possible.
Even though Wantoat as a whole is only spoken by around 8,000 people, today, it is not considered an endangered language.
Kube