Pandanus language

A **Pandanus language** is a special kind of speech used by some people in the eastern New Guinea Highlands. It is spoken when collecting nuts from the pandanus tree.

## Use

Every year, people go into the forest to gather and cook nuts from the _karuka_ tree (which includes _Pandanus julianettii_ and _Pandanus brosimos_). Many regular words are avoided during this time because they are believed to harm the plants or stop the nuts from growing properly. Over time, a special set of about 1,000 words has been created to replace the usual ones. These words are mainly used for talking about trips to gather the nuts, and new words are added as needed.

The language is also used to control magic linked to high places where the trees grow. People believe it helps keep dangerous spirits calm, like _Kita-Menda_ (also known as _Giluwe yelkepo_ ), who watches over wild dogs. The language should only be used in the forest where the trees grow. If people speak it elsewhere, mountain spirits might hear and come down to check what’s happening.

Everyone, no matter their age or gender, is expected to know this special language before entering these forest areas. However, visitors who don’t know it can speak Tok Pisin, a common trade language. As more people use _Tok Pisin_ , fewer use the pandanus languages. Younger people also seem less afraid of the forest and don’t think they need the special language anymore. By the 1990s, some pandanus languages like those of the Kewa and Imbongu were already fading away.

## Structure

The grammar and words of the pandanus language come from the local native language but are simpler and more limited, especially for naming living things. Some words are grouped together in ways that don’t exist in everyday speech. Also, some words may come from other languages.

For example, the word for _karuka_ varies across languages. In Kewa, it’s usually _aga_ , but in the pandanus version, it becomes _rumala agaa_ . In Kalam, however, the word stays the same in both normal and pandanus speech: _alŋaw_ .

## Pandanus Languages Around the Region

Pandanus languages have been studied most in these groups:

- Imbongu
- Kalam
- Kewa
- Kobon
- Melpa
- Mendi
- Taiap

In Kalam, the pandanus language is called _alŋaw mnm_ or _ask-mosk mnm_ , which means "avoidance language." It is also used when eating or cooking cassowary meat, instead of speaking the normal language, called _monmon mnm_ . People use it not just to avoid spirits, but to make sure the nuts are good to eat — not watery, tough, or rotten. And unlike other types, it can be spoken outside the forest without causing problems. This form could be thousands of years old and may have started from older pandanus languages.

The Huli people also have a special way of speaking called _tayenda tu ha illili_ , or “bush divide taboo.” They use it when gathering pandanus, hunting, or traveling. Like others, it is meant to keep harmful forest spirits away.  , like many of the above, is used to evade malevolent bush spirits.

## References

- Ulrich Ammon, 2006. _Sociolinguistics/Soziolinguistik 3: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society/Ein Internationales Handbuch Zur Wissenschaft Von Sprache und Gesellschaft_, p. 2042.
- William Foley, 1986. _The Papuan Languages of New Guinea_, p. 43.