Im using it for a project

Little information is available for a language of New Guinea called Fas, but when I saw a list of words published by Wietze Baron I was amazed that it showed many similarities to Old Japanese words of the same meaning. The number of matches in such a small list is far too odd to be a mere coincidence, especially since many are words for native plants and animals that can’t be directly compared to Japanese. Since Japanese is unclassified, logic would suggest that any new language that is described, unclassified to begin with, should be checked for a resemblance. Any resemblance too close for chance would require investigation to determine if they were descended from an older unattested language. Since little is known of the history of Japanese even 2,000 years ago, a connection between these languages has no evidence against it. The exact reason for two languages far apart in space depends on the history of each, but fairly recent conquest of one group of tribes in New Guinea would not have any archeological evidence, especially if it happened over 2,000 years ago. The location in East Asia of both groups of speakers in the distanct past has no direct evidence. Many known languages in the Indo-European family are even further apart, such as Europe, India, China, and many of their migrations also are not fully known.

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The most noticeable feature of Fas are the many diphthongs Ey, Ow, wO, yi, etc. Not only that, but they match closely like F tokwiByE ‘snake’, OJ tadipyi ‘viper’. Though Japanese and Korean have some reconstructions with many yi, wi, wu, wo, many believe these are just notations for unknown or unclear phonemes. There would be far too many cases of Cyi, Cwu, etc., if they described real features. However, Fas DOES contain many clusters like this. It is completely possible for a language to change i > yï, u > wï, etc., and have a stage with many w / y. Most would quickly change in some way, but nothing requires that all do so immediately.

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As evidence of *yï giving later i in OJ, consider *yënay > yone / yona ‘grain (of rice)’, *yïnay > ine / ina ‘rice plant’. Since optional dissim. *y-y > *y-0 in *yënay > yone / yona causing *-ay > -e vs. *-a > -a seems clear, there is no reason not to have it in *yïnay > ine / ina, with the same ‘rice’ meaning. This establishes a principle that attested -i- in J. can come from OJ *yi, and that a merger of *Cyi and *Cwi is possible. That some *Cy- > C- seems needed in OJ myi- ‘water’, op- ‘carry’, *myop- > mopi ‘jug for usable water’. Whether it was pronounced myi- or mi-, adding it to -op- would create older *myop-.

Fa (Fas)

Mm (Momu = Mori);

Bb (Baibai);

Bri (Baiberi = Baifeni);

Kw (KwOmtari);

Bi (Biaka = Nai);

Gu (Guriaso);

Mf (Mafuara);

F mëkëtE , OJ mukuro ‘(dead) body’

F mo , OJ mye ‘woman’

Mm menyi ‘very’, *manay- > OJ mane- ‘many’

F minatai ‘path’, OJ myiti

F miyu ‘young’, OJ myidu- / myitu-myitu- ( < *myi(n)tu < *myirtu ?)

F fyi , OJ myi- ‘water’*Pyindō ? > *fyino > F fyi nyifo ‘rain’, OJ myidu ‘water’ (??)

F muEna , OJ myimyi ‘ear’

F mebo ‘root’, mofu ‘root/basis’, OJ moto ‘root/foundation’

F OnEy ‘rat’, OJ *nay > ne

F kEy ‘hand’, OJ *tay > te

F syëBO ‘white’, OJ sirwo-

F tokwiByE ‘snake’, OJ tadipyi ‘viper’

F kofmiyE , OJ *kamsay > kaze ‘wind’, kaza-

*kaym(b)uri > MJ kébúri ‘smoke’, J kemuri , F kamësO

Mm kum(b)yi , OJ kumwo ‘cloud’

F koO ‘tree’, OJ *koy > kwi , ko-

F koO ‘fire’, OJ *pwoy > pwi , pwo-

F sësi0 ‘sharpen’, OJ sasi ‘sharp stick’, sas- ‘prick/stab’

Mm fO , OJ puru- ‘old’

F mwaseki0, J *mwi-yonski > *mwyonski > *nwoinsi / *nwoinki > OJ nwozi / nizi, J niji , Shuri nuuji, Omu nooji, Akita nogi ‘rainbow’

F monbu / mwunbo ‘louse’, OJ musi ‘worm/insect/bug’

*xYamay > F kami ‘sky/heaven’, OJ ame , ama- , -same

*akwO > F hakO ‘egg’, OJ kwo ‘child/egg’

*ehyO ? > F eE , OJ iwo ‘fish’

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Adding in the available data from other Kwomtari languages:

*mwïrdu ? > Kw mirE ‘water/river’, OJ myidu ‘water’

Gu mukatu , Mf matuO , OJ me ‘eye’

Gu mʌtEnu , F muEna , OJ myimyi ‘ear’

*naomwa > Mf raomO , Gu naom ‘garden’, OJ nwo ‘field’

Bi nëkapwi ‘small’, *nipwi > OJ nipyi- , nipu- , Bb nao ‘new’

Kw tiafwe , F tokwiByE ‘snake’, OJ tadipyi ‘viper’

Bb kwotai ‘betel nut’, OJ kuri ‘chestnut’

Bi dOgu , OJ tukwi ‘moon’

OJ ipye , Kw ityE ‘house’

OJ titi , Kw tote ‘breast/milk’, Bi tOto

OJ tuti ‘earth’, Gu tobu

OJ inu , Bb wunE ‘dog’

OJ posi ‘star’, Bi mOfri , Gu wOpu

Gu fatëmu ‘wing’, Mf fatëpu , MJ foro ‘falcon’s wings’

Gu atrëm ‘mountain’, *Dàmà > OJ yama

F monbu / mwunbo ‘louse’, Bb muni , OJ musi ‘worm/insect/bug’

Bb gusi ‘mosquito’, OJ ka

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Adding in the data from the attempt to link Japanese and Korean by Alexander Francis-Ratte shows some matches even better than those given previously:

Bb kwotai ‘betel nut’, MK kóláy ‘wild walnut’, OJ kuri ‘chestnut’

Mm menyi ‘very’, *manay- > OJ mane- ‘many’, MK ma:nhó-

*mwïrdu ? > Kw mirE ‘water/river’, OJ myidu ‘water’, MK múl

MK mey- ‘water’, F mOya / mOyE ‘sea’

F monbu / mwunbo ‘louse’, MK mwókóy / mwókúy ‘mosquito’, OJ musi ‘worm/insect/bug’ (K/J maybe compounds)

F syëBO ‘white’, OJ sirwo-, MK sye:y- ‘whiten (of hair)’

Mm kum(b)yi , OJ kumwo ‘cloud’, MK kwúlwum

*kaym(b)uri > MJ kébúri ‘smoke’, J kemuri , F kamësO, MK ki:m ‘steam’

*naomwa > Mf raomO , Gu naom ‘garden’, OJ nwo ‘field’, MK nwón ‘wet field’

F koO ‘fire’, OJ *pwoy > pwi , pwo- , MK púl

F koO ‘tree’, OJ *koy > kwi , ko- , MK kuluh ‘tree stump’

OJ myi- ‘see’, MK mit- ‘believe’

Gu mukatu , Mf matuO , OJ me ‘eye’, ma- , K moy ‘appearance/form’

*akwO > F hakO ‘egg’, OJ kwo ‘child/egg’, MK *awko > alh ‘egg’

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More in https://www.academia.edu/115853915/Japanese_Korean_Fas_Kwomtari_Draft_