Baliem Valley languages

Larson (1977){{cite journal |last=Larson |first=Gordon F. |year=1977 |title=Reclassification of Some Irian Jaya Highlands Language Families: A Lexicostatical Cross-Family Subclassification with Historical Implications |journal=Irian |volume=VI |issue=2 |pages=3–40}} divided the family into three branches based on lexicostatistics, and Nggem was later added as a fourth. The Ngalik languages are very poorly attested.

{{tree list}}

• Dani family
• Wano
• Nggem
• Central Dani:
• Grand Valley Dani (upper, lower, and mid dialects)
• Hupla
• Western Dani–Walak
• Ngalik:
• Nduga
• Silimo
• Yali (dialect cluster)

{{tree list/end}}

Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant inventory as follows.{{cite web |url=https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/west-papuan-highlands/balim-valley |title=Balim Valley |website=New Guinea World |last=Usher |first=Timothy}} This is identical to the reconstruction of Bromley (1966-1967){{cite journal |last=Bromley |first=Myron H. |date=June 1967 |title=The Linguistic Relationships of Grand Valley Dani: A Lexico-statistical Classification |journal=Oceania |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=286–305 |doi=10.1002/j.1834-4461.1967.tb00912.x |jstor=40329608}} apart from adding the rare consonants *pw, *mbw, and the possible additional vowel *ɐ.

And the diphthongs *ei, *ou, *ai, *au.

Ross (1995){{citation needed|date=September 2020}} reconstructs the independent pronouns and possessive/object prefixes of Central Dani as:

:

The following basic vocabulary words are from Bromley (1967) and Voorhoeve (1975),{{cite book |isbn=978-0-85883-128-5 |doi=10.15144/PL-B31 |date=2015 |last1=Voorhoeve |first1=C.L. |title=Languages of Irian Jaya: Checklist. Preliminary classification, language maps, wordlists |publisher=Pacific Linguistics }} as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.{{Cite web |url=http://transnewguinea.org/language/?subset=D |title=TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea |last=Greenhill |first=Simon |date=2016| access-date=2020-11-05}}

The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. nakapak, ogobak, nokopak for “nose”) or not (e.g. natði, nemake, nabilikagen for “tongue”).

Dani reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma are:{{cite book |last1=Pawley |first1=Andrew |last2=Hammarström |first2=Harald |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The Trans New Guinea family |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=21–196 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}

Grand Valley Dani language:

• {{Transliteration|dni|ap}} 'man' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*ambi}}
• {{Transliteration|dni|meli}} 'tongue' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*me(l,n)e}}
• {{Transliteration|dni|n-esi}} 'hair' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*iti[C]}} ({{Transliteration|dni|n-}} is 1sg possessor)
• {{Transliteration|dni|me(m)}} 'come' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*me-}}
• {{Transliteration|dni|ket}} 'new' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*kVndak}}

Western Dani language:

• {{Transliteration|dnw|ap}} 'man' < {{Transliteration|dnw|italic=no|*ambi}}
• {{Transliteration|dnw|(n)iti}} < {{Transliteration|dnw|italic=no|*iti[C]}}
• {{Transliteration|dnw|meli}} 'tongue' < {{Transliteration|dnw|italic=no|*me(l,n)e}}
• {{Transliteration|dnw|get}} 'new' < {{Transliteration|dnw|italic=no|*kVndak}}
• {{Transliteration|dnw|okut}} 'leg' < {{Transliteration|dnw|italic=no|*k(a,o)ndok[V]}}
• {{Transliteration|dnw|kat(lo)}} 'skin' < {{Transliteration|dnw|italic=no|*(ŋg,k)a(nd,t)apu}}
• {{Transliteration|dnw|idu}} 'tree' < {{Transliteration|dnw|italic=no|*inda}}

Ngalik language:

• {{Transliteration|dni|idu(k)etu}} 'tree' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*inda}}
• {{Transliteration|dni|(nak) amu}} 'breast' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*amu}}
• {{Transliteration|dni|tokon}} 'full' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*tVkV[ti]}}
• {{Transliteration|dni|kopu}} 'smoke' < {{Transliteration|dni|italic=no|*kambu}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Malcolm Ross Pronouns}}

{{Refend}}

{{West Trans–New Guinea languages}}

{{Trans–New Guinea languages}}

{{Papuan languages}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:West Papuan Highlands languages

Category:Languages of Western New Guinea