Faranyao and Kaniran) is a Papuan language of the Bomberai Peninsula of West Papua, Indonesia.
The Northeastern dialect may be a distinct language.
Locations:[2] Mairasi possessor prefixes are:[3] Noun phrase case markers in Mairasi:[3]: 546 Some examples: ovuru-tmachete-INSTRovuru-tmachete-INSTR‘with a machete’wesohousearLOCweso arhouse LOC‘in the house’munduvillageeviALLmundu evivillage ALL‘to the village’Mairasi possessor prefixes:[3]: 546 Examples of inalienable possessors: ee-rovo1PL.POSS-handee-rovo1PL.POSS-hand‘our hands’na-iambi3SG.POSS-skinna-iambi3SG.POSS-skin‘his skin’Mairasi has two directional suffixes, which are only used with movement verbs.
[3]: 549 Examples of directional suffixes in use: o-is-aʔi1SG.SBJ-stand-upo-is-aʔi1SG.SBJ-stand-up‘I stand up’o-fon-ari1SG.SBJ-sit-downo-fon-ari1SG.SBJ-sit-down‘I sit down’Animacy is marked by the adjective modifier n-, as exemplified by the contrast in the following two noun phrases.
[3]: 546 faririwordØ-avwerINAN-bigfariri Ø-avwerword INAN-big‘a big word’faririwordn-avwerANIM-bigfariri n-avwerword ANIM-big‘a long-winded person’Vowel changes can modify the number of animate nouns:[3]: 546 uratufishn-avwerANIM-big.SGuratu n-avwerfish ANIM-big.SG‘a big fish’uratufishn-evwerANIM-big.PLuratu n-evwerfish ANIM-big.PL‘big fishes’