Classificatory and typological studies in languages of the Western Madang district, New Guinea

Abstract

This thesis is the outcome of a period of research which began in August 1964 when I was transferred as a Missionary of the Society of the Divine Word (S.V.D.) to the Catholic Mission Station at Mugil. My linguistic aim at that time was to gain a basic idea of the nature of the Mugil language and to get an overall picture of the linguistic situation in the area for which I had to care as a missionary. An orientation trip to various parts of the Bogia Subdistrict and the Mlddle Ramu area was made in the second half of 1965. It was then that it became apparent to me how insufficient our linguistic knowledge of the Madang District was. Published material could be adequately understood only in the light of new field studies. Show more