Meso-Melanesian languages

{{Redirect|New Ireland languages|modern languages in Ireland|Languages of Ireland}}

{{Short description|Subgroup in the Oceanic family of languages}}

{{Infobox language family

|name=Meso-Melanesian

|region=Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands

|familycolor=Austronesian

|fam2=Malayo-Polynesian

|fam3=Oceanic

|fam4=Western Oceanic

|protoname=Proto-Meso-Melanesian

|glotto=meso1253

|glottorefname=Meso Melanesian linkage

}}

The Meso-Melanesian languages are a linkage of Oceanic languages spoken in the large Melanesian islands of New Ireland and the Solomon Islands east of New Guinea. Bali is one of the most conservative languages.

Composition

The languages group as follows:{{cite book | last = Lynch | first = John | author-link = John Lynch (linguist) | author2 = Malcolm Ross | author-link2=Malcolm Ross (linguist) | author3 = Terry Crowley | author-link3 = Terry Crowley (linguist) | year = 2002 | title = The Oceanic languages | location = Richmond, Surrey | publisher = Curzon | isbn = 9780700711284 | oclc = 48929366 }}

Willaumez linkage: Bola, Bulu, Meramera, Nakanai
Bali–Vitu: Bali (Uneapa), Vitu (Muduapa) [may be a single language]
New Ireland – Northwest Solomonic linkage

File:New Ireland Languages.jpg

Tungag–Nalik family: Tigak, Tungag, Nalik, Laxudumau, Kara, Tiang
Tabar linkage: Madara (Tabar), Lihir, Notsi
Madak linkage: Barok, Lavatbura-Lamusong, Madak
Tomoip
St George linkage
Niwer Mil
Warwar Feni
Fanamaket
Sursurunga
Konomala
Patpatar–Tolai: Patpatar, Lungalunga (Minigir), Tolai (Kuanua)
Label–Bilur: Label, Bilur
Kandas–Ramoaaina: Kandas, Ramoaaina
Siar
Northwest Solomonic linkage

Ethnologue adds Guramalum to the St George linkage.

The Willaumez Peninsula on the north coast of New Britain was evidently the center of dispersal.

Johnston (1982) combines the Willaumez and Bali–Vitu branches into a single Kimbe branch, for which he reconstructs Proto-Kimbe.Johnston, R.L. 1982. "[http://dx.doi.org/10.15144/PL-C74.59 Proto-Kimbe and the New Guinea Oceanic hypothesis]". In Halim, A., Carrington, L. and Wurm, S.A. editors. Papers from the Third International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, Vol. 1: Currents in Oceanic, 59–95. {{doi|10.15144/PL-C74.59}}

Language contact

Lenition in Lamasong, Madak, Barok, Nalik, and Kara may have diffused via influence from Kuot, the only non-Austronesian language spoken on New Ireland (Ross 1994: 566).Ross, Malcolm. 1994. Areal phonological features in north central New Ireland. In: Dutton and Tryon (eds.) Language contact and change in the Austronesian world, 551–572. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

References

Category:Western Oceanic languages