Mek languages
{{Short description|Trans–New Guinea language branch}}
{{cleanup lang|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox language family
|name=Mek
|altname=Goliath
|ethnicity=Mek people and Yali people
|region=Yahukimo and Pegunungan Bintang, Highland Papua
|familycolor=Papuan
|fam1=Trans–New Guinea
|fam2=Central West New Guinea
|fam3=Momuna–Mek[https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/central-west-new-guinea/momuna-mek Momuna–Mek, New Guinea World]
|glotto=mekk1240
|glottorefname=Mek
|map=Mek languages.svg
|mapcaption=Map: The Mek languages of New Guinea
{{legend|#FF5E5F|The Mek languages}}
{{legend|#7BB5B6|Other Trans–New Guinea languages}}
{{legend|#D9D9D9|Other Papuan languages}}
{{legend|#E09D00|Austronesian languages}}
{{legend|white|Uninhabited}}
}}
The Mek languages are a well established family of Papuan languages spoken by the Mek people and Yali people. They form a branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) in the classifications of Stephen Wurm (1975) and of Malcolm Ross (2005).
Mek, then called Goliath, was identified by M. Bromley in 1967. It was placed in TNG by Wurm (1975).
Languages
The Mek languages form three dialect chains (Heeschen 1998):
- Eastern: Ketengban (including Okbap, Omban, Bime, Onya), Una (Goliath), Eipomek
- Northern: Kosarek Yale–Nipsan, Nalca
- Western: Korupun-Sela (including Dagi, Sisibna, Deibula)
Proto-language
=Phonemes=
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant and vowel inventories as 'perhaps' as follows:[https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/central-west-new-guinea/momuna-mek/mek New Guinea World]
:
| {{table}}
| *m | *n | *ŋ | ||
| *p | *t | *k | *kʷ | |
| *(m)b | *(n)d | *(ŋ)g | *(ŋ)gʷ | |
| *s | ||||
| *w | *l | *j |
:
| {{table}}
|i | u | |
| e | o | |
| ɛ | ɔ | |
| a | ɒ |
:
| {{table}}
|ei | ou |
| ɛi | ɔu |
| ai | au |
| aɛ | aɔ |
=Pronouns=
=Basic vocabulary=
Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:
:
| class="wikitable sortable"
! gloss !! Proto-Mek !! Proto-East Mek !! Kimyal !! Proto-Northwest Mek !! Proto-Momuna-Mek !! Momuna |
| hair/feather
| *p[ɔ]t[ɔ]ŋ || *pɔtɔŋ || osoŋ || *hɔŋ || || |
|---|
| ear/twelve
| *aᵓ || || ɔ || *aᵓ || || |
| eye
| *atiŋ || *asiŋ || isiŋ || *haⁱŋ || *ɒtig || ɒtù |
| tooth/sharp
| *jo̝ || || || || *jo̝ || jó |
| tongue
| *se̝l[ija]mu || *[se̝]l[ija]mu || selamu || *se̝l[i]mu || || |
| foot/leg
| *jan || *jan || jan || *jan || *j[a/ɒ]n || |
| blood
| *e̝ne̝ŋ || *ɪnɪŋ || eneŋ || *e̝ne̝ŋ || *jo̝ne̝g || |
| bone
| *jɔk || *jɔk || jw-aʔ || *jɔʔ[ɔ] || || |
| breast
| *mɔᵘm || *mɔᵘm || moᵘm || *mɔᵘm || *mɔᵘm || mɒ̃ᵘ |
| louse
| *ami || *ami || imi || *ami || *ami || ami |
| dog
| *gam || *[k/g]am || gam || *gam || *gɒm || kɒ̀ |
| pig
| *be̝sam || *bɪsam || || *bham || || wɒ́ |
| bird
| *mak, *mag || *mak || -ma (?) || *-ma (?) || *mak || má |
| egg/fruit/seed
| *do̝[k] || *dʊk || do || *do̝[k] || || dɒko ~ dɒku |
| tree/wood
| *gal || || gal || *gal || *gɒl || kɒ̀ |
| woman/wife
| *ge̝l || *[k/g]ɪl || gel || *ge̝l || || |
| sun
| *k[ɛ]t[e̝]ŋ || *k[ɛ]t[ɪ]ŋ || isiŋ || *he̝ŋ || || |
| moon
| *wal || *wal || wal || *wal || || |
| water/river
| *m[ɛ/a]g || *mɛk || mag || *m[ɛ/a]g || || |
| fire
| *o̝ᵘg || *ʊᵘk || ug || *[u]g || || |
| stone
| *gɛⁱl; *gidig || *[k/g]ɛⁱl || girig || *gidig || || kè |
| path/way
| *bi[t/s]ig || *bi[t/s]ik || bisig || *bhig || || |
| name
| *si || *si || si || *si || *si || si |
| eat/drink
| *de̝-(b) || *dɪ-(b) || de- || *de̝-(b) || || de- |
| one
| *[na]tɔn || *tɔn || nason || *nhɔn || || |
| two/ring finger
| *b[e̝/ɛ]te̝ne̝ || *b[ɪ/ɛ]tɪnɪ || besene || *bhe̝ne̝ || || |
Modern reflexes
Mek 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}}
- mun ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’
- kuna ‘shadow’ < *k(a,o)nan
- saŋ ‘dancing song’ < *saŋ
- getane ‘sun’ < *kVtane
- mundo ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’
- ami ‘louse’ < *niman
- si ‘tooth’ < *(s,t)i(s,t)i
- tomo < *k(i,u)tuma ‘night’
- de ‘to burn’ < *nj(a,e,i)
- mon ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’
- xau ‘ashes’ < *kambu
Further reading
- Heeschen, Volker. 1978. The Mek languages of Irian Jaya with special reference to the Eipo language. Irian 7(2): 3–46.
- Heeschen, Volker. 1992. The position of the Mek languages of Irian Jaya among the Papuan languages: History, typology and speech. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 148(3/4): 465–488.
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{Malcolm Ross Pronouns}}
External links
- Timothy Usher, New Guinea World, [https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/central-west-new-guinea/momuna-mek Proto–Momuna–Mek]
- (ibid.) [https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/central-west-new-guinea/momuna-mek/mek Proto–Mek]
{{Mek languages}}
{{Papuan languages}}