Ebook: A Grammar of Tauya

Tauya (also Inafosa) is a Rai Coast language spoken in the Ramu River valley, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea by approximately 350 people. [Wikipedia]

This book is an excellent introduction to New Guinea grammar for anyone who, like myself, is unfamiliar with the languages of this area of the world. In addition to detailed coverage of the phonology and morphology, it covers selected syntactic topics, provides sample interlinear texts, and throughout provides comparisons to other languages of the area. The treatment of difficult and/or moot points is detailed and refreshingly candid (e.g., the suffixes / - m o / and /-fo/ on pp. 87ff), and the frequent grouping and comparison of data by semantic function (e.g., quantification on pp. 116ff) contributes to providing a good feel for how the language works. (…) I will refrain from deploring the brevity of the description of syntax, and the lack of a chapter on discourse analysis: MacDonald's fieldwork continues, and we will no doubt be treated to ample descriptions of these topics over the years. (…) [Review by Paul Proulx]