Name That Language!

[Vilike]

Is it Nostratic?
(Hopefully this is top-level enough)

[Moose-tache]

If I had to go further I’d say it’s most probably from the north coast of PNG?

It is Not spoken on New Guinea.

[Moose-tache]

Do verbs conjugate differently depending on if the direct object is definite or not?

This is a great question. I'm fairly certain the answer is No.

[Moose-tache]

Is it Nostratic?
(Hopefully this is top-level enough)

I guess I'll allow it. Yes, this language would be included in Nostratic.

Here is the passage again, so people don't have to jump between pages:

tawa edeni goropci teeluŋu asimuna nari purettei beiŋdexenindee. beiŋdegecci cii biccinindee. xaiddee böyömböni mastaa baramba waaganinda. andailli nari nimerixenindee. töyöbujji gɛɛda waŋgaiwa waaxanindaa. bargixanindaa. bargigacci töyöxönindee. mittei dullee ejjɛɛ böörö uccinindee. tawatakki dullee bööru. esiwi böörö uccinindee. meene depciwi. munalisiwi. tari nari caa dolbonnɛɛ cadu aundaxanindaa. gɛɛda mama unjiweni tolcicixanin. aa. xaiwaddaa gapɛɛddaa xaiwaddaa waapɛɛddaa mittei eccɛɛli böörö. xumanami elee bujiwi. cimanaa sindu gese ŋennɛɛlemi. isumi itetteerii. eri duxu geem taullillaa. sɛɛltee punektee omi taullillaa unjiweni tolcicixanindaa tari nari. cimanaani cimai teegecci ŋenexenindee. gɛɛdara aundagacci isuxanindaa. tededdee tari duxu geem anaanda. laxee isuwacci itexenindee. sɛɛltee punektee omi geem ree tauluxanindaa. cikee biccinde goropci teeluŋu.

[Vilike]

Is the scholarly literature on this language mainly in Russian?

[Moose-tache]

Is the scholarly literature on this language mainly in Russian?

No.
A longer answer is here, which includes a very slight hint:

More: show

The longer answer is: surprisingly, no.

[bradrn]

Here is the passage again, so people don't have to jump between pages:

Thank you so much for this! (I wonder why no-one else has done this yet…)

OK, next question: does it have lots of noun cases (let’s say, oh, ≥5 cases)?

[Moose-tache]

OK, next question: does it have lots of noun cases (let’s say, oh, ≥5 cases)?

Yes.

[bradrn]

Let me guess… Moksha? I’m going on the basis of the vowel system (Wikipedia lists /æ e i ə ɑ o u/, fitting well with ⟨ɛ e i ö a o u⟩), as well as the fact that this is almost certainly Uralic (its literature should be ‘mainly in Russian’ + lots of cases + the given text resembles no other Nostratic family).

[Vilike]

Is the traditional mode of subsistence of the speakers reindeer herding?

[Moose-tache]

Let me guess… Moksha?

Drumroll... Incorrect!
Feel free to keep asking questions to help other players, though. I will say, you should take another look at the reasoning you gave in your post.

[Moose-tache]

Is the traditional mode of subsistence of the speakers reindeer herding?

Yes.

[fusijui]

I gotta say, the last two Q&A about major scholarly language and traditional subsistence have thrown me back into self-doubt; I don't think I know what this could even be now This is great, I'm loving the new system.

[Vilike]

Does the text contain lexical borrowings from Samoyedic languages?

[Zju]

Veps?

[Moose-tache]

Does the text contain lexical borrowings from Samoyedic languages?

I don't really have a way to know that for sure, but my guess is maybe, but probably not.

[Moose-tache]

Veps?

I'm sorry, but no.
As a group, we have weaved closer and farther away from the answer, with a few very near misses here and there. At least one person said/asked something that I was sure would reveal the answer.

[Moose-tache]

I gotta say, the last two Q&A about major scholarly language and traditional subsistence have thrown me back into self-doubt; I don't think I know what this could even be now This is great, I'm loving the new system.

Keep asking questions, so someone else can jump in and guess the language!
Since you are confused, I will clarify an earlier answer. When I said the scholarly literature is not mainly in Russian, I did mean to imply that there is no scholarly literature on the language in Russian.

[fusijui]

Oh, I understood -- it's just that if it were the language I've convinced myself it is, the bulk of scholarship on it is in Russian AFAIK, so I will wallow in self-doubt and self-recrimination until I can come up with a more subtle sidelong question

[Zju]

Are all the phonemes present in the sample? Not counting the ones occurring only in loanwords.