Adzera is a member of Western Oceanic branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. It is spoken by about 30,000 people mainly along the Markham River in Morobe Province on the north cost of Papua New Guinea, especially in the villages of Wampar, Munum and Gabensis. There are also Adzera speakers in cities such as Port Moresby.
The language is also known as Atzera, Azera, Atsera or Acira. Dialects include: Central, Amari, Ngarowapum, Yaros, Guruf / Ngariawang and Tsumanggorun. Several ways to write Adzera with the Latin script have been devised since the early 20th century.
Adzera is not used in education, government and media, and as a result, there is a shift to Tok Pisin and English among younger Adzera people. Efforts are being made to revitalize the Adzera language and culture.
Download an Adzera alphabet chart (Excel)
Gubuʼ maŋan, da mamaʼ rini faʼ iruʼ Wampua ifa i naŋa gum B.G.D. Ifawaʼ sib da bumpum iyu iruʼ araŋan biŋaŋ gan da ifab i gum. Fain ifa i dzibida banis makau da fain ifa i tsutsagin ataŋʼa stokiyat. Inaŋ gum sib, da gubuʼ wasaʼ, da tuasaraŋan ifa impruʼ maran iga was. Da mamaʼ iyab i bampiŋʼ. Idauman impa waraŋʼ da inuʼ iyab ifan da ini da Gaŋu, “Wataniŋʼ wafa nabi dzraʼ da watsaŋan. Dugunt pas imami i wada agi gampaŋʼ ma imaʼ.” Gaŋu itaniŋʼ da itsaŋa dzaf dugunt wada Wampua. Da inuʼ ini binaʼ, “O Salomon, ramaŋʼ ruas ifaŋa dzaf aru gum mpui riŋampa Ŋasaguari ugu wa.” Ini sib, da iraŋ bampiŋʼ waguŋʼ.
One day, some young men from Wampua went down to work for B.G.D. They arrived, and a white man took down their names and assigned them to work. Some went to herd cattle in the field and some went to drive those entering the stockyard. After they had worked a while in the middle of the day they went and sat together and chewed betel nut. One climbed a coconut palm. Idauman was down below and he called up and said to Gangu, “Turn around and look upstream. Is there a little smoke coming from our village, or not?” Gangu turned and he saw smoke coming from Wampua, and he called out, “Oh, Salomon, our fathers are burning the grass where our garden is along the bank of the Ngasaguari River.” When he had spoken, he cried up there in the coconut.
Source: Adzera Organised Phonology Data: Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, by David Edward Howard. 2003.
Information about Adzera | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Information about Adzera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adzera_language
http://www.language-archives.org/language/adz
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/adz
https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org/adzera/
Adzera, Ahamb, Äiwoo, Aneityum, Apma, Araki, Are, ʼAuhelawa, Avava, Babatana, Bariai, Bola, Big Numbas, Buhutu, Bwaidoka, Caac, Cheke Holo, Dorig, Hiri Motu, Hiw, Hoava, Kakabai, Kaninuwa, Kokota, Kove, Kurti, Lakon, Lehali, Lenakel, Lewo, Lote, Lo-Toga, Löyöp, Manam, Marovo, Maskelynes, Mato, Mavea, Mono-Alu, Motu, Mussau-Emira, Mwotlap, Nafsan, Nahavaq, Namakura, Nanggu, Nduke, Neve‘ei, Neverver, Ninde, North Efate, Nume, Paamese, Papapana, Raga, Rotuman, Roviana, Sa, Sakao, Saliba, Siar, Sio, Ske, Sobei, Sursurunga, Tamambo, Tami, Teanu, Tigak, Tirax, Tolai, Touo, Ubir, Ughele, Uneapa, Vatlongos, Vitu, Vurës, Western Fijian, Yabem, Yapese
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 10.02.25
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