Asmat language

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Region West Papua
Ethnicity Asmat people
Native speakers
unknown (20,000 cited 1972–1991)[1]
Trans–New Guinea
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Variously:
asc – Casuarina Coast
cns – Central
nks – North
asy – Yaosakor
tml – Tamnim Citak
Glottolog asma1257[2]

Asmat is a Papuan dialect cluster of West New Guinea.

The principal dialects, distinct enough to be considered separate languages, are:

  • Casuarina Coast, also known as Kaweinag (subdialects Matia and Sapan~Safan)
  • Central, also known as Jas~Yas or Manowee (subdialects Simai~Simay, Misman, Ajam~Ayam)
  • North (Momogo-Pupis-Irogo), also known as Keenok
  • Yaosakor

Some of these may be closer to the other Asmat ethniticy, Citak, than they are to each other, but their speakers identify themselves as Asmat. Similarly, Tamnim Citak is closer to Asmat than to Citak, but the people identify themselves as Citak.


  1. ^ Casuarina Coast at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Central at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    North at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Yaosakor at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Tamnim Citak at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ^ Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Asmat". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. 

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