Central and South New Guinea languages
Encyclopedia
The Central and South New Guinea languages (CSNG) are a proposed family
of the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG). They were part of Voorhoeve & McElhanon's original TNG proposal, but have been reduced in scope by half (nine families to four) in the classification of Malcolm Ross
. According to Ross, it is not clear if the pronoun similarities between the four remaining branches of Central and South New Guinea are retentions for proto-TNG forms or shared innovations defining a single branch of TNG. Voorhoeve argues independently for an Awyu–Ok relationship, and Foley echoes that Asmat may be closest to Awyu and Ok of the TNG languages. Regardless, the four individual branches of reduced Central and South New Guinea are themselves clearly valid families.
Ethnologue
(2009) retains only Awyu–Dumut and Ok, calling the branch Ok-Awyu, and place Asmat and Mombum as independent branches of TNG. Loughnane & Fedden (2011) link Ok to the Oksapmin language
.
to the mix. Collaboration with McElhanon and his Finisterre–Huon family in 1970 found a connection between them, which was named Trans–New Guinea. Wurm's 1975 expansion of TNG also expanded CSNG, with the addition of Awin–Pa, Bosavi
, Duna–Pogaya, East Strickland
, Mombum
, and Momuna
. Ross's recension in 2005 retained nothing from Voohoeve and only Mombum from Wurm, though the Momuna languages were too sparsely attested for him to classify.
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
of the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG). They were part of Voorhoeve & McElhanon's original TNG proposal, but have been reduced in scope by half (nine families to four) in the classification of Malcolm Ross
Malcolm Ross
Malcolm David Ross is a linguist and professor at the Australian National University. He has published work on Austronesian and Papuan languages, historical linguistics, and language contact.-External links:**...
. According to Ross, it is not clear if the pronoun similarities between the four remaining branches of Central and South New Guinea are retentions for proto-TNG forms or shared innovations defining a single branch of TNG. Voorhoeve argues independently for an Awyu–Ok relationship, and Foley echoes that Asmat may be closest to Awyu and Ok of the TNG languages. Regardless, the four individual branches of reduced Central and South New Guinea are themselves clearly valid families.
- Central and South New Guinea (Ross 2005)
- Asmat–Kamoro family (11) [a recent expansion along the south coast]
- Awyu–Dumut family (16)
- MombumMombum languagesThe Mombum languages are a pair of Trans–New Guinea languages, Koneraw and Mombum, spoken just off the southern coast of New Guinea.Mombum was first classified as a branch isolate of the Central and South New Guinea languages in Stephen Wurm's 1975 expansion for Trans–New Guinea, a position...
family (2) - OkOk languagesThe Ok languages are a family of a score of clearly related Trans–New Guinea languages spoken in a contiguous area of eastern Irian Jaya and western Papua New Guinea...
family (20)
Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
(2009) retains only Awyu–Dumut and Ok, calling the branch Ok-Awyu, and place Asmat and Mombum as independent branches of TNG. Loughnane & Fedden (2011) link Ok to the Oksapmin language
Oksapmin language
Oksapmin is a Trans–New Guinea language spoken in Telefomin District, Sandaun, Papua New Guinea. It has been influenced by the Ok languages , and the similarities with those languages were attributed to borrowing in the classifications of both Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross , where Oksapmin was...
.
History
In the mid 1960s, Alan Healey, a colleague of Laycock, noted connections between the Ok, Asmat, and Awyu–Dumut families. Voorhoeve (1968) expanded on this and coined the name CSNG; his proposal added Trans-Fly and MarindMarind languages
The Marind languages are a well established language family of Papuan languages, spoken by the Marind-anim. They form part of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classifications of Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross.* Marind family...
to the mix. Collaboration with McElhanon and his Finisterre–Huon family in 1970 found a connection between them, which was named Trans–New Guinea. Wurm's 1975 expansion of TNG also expanded CSNG, with the addition of Awin–Pa, Bosavi
Bosavi languages
The Bosavi languages are a family of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross.The languages, which are closely related, are Aimele , Kaluli, Beami, Dibiyaso , Edolo, Kasua, Onobasulu, Sonia....
, Duna–Pogaya, East Strickland
East Strickland languages
The East Strickland languages are a family of Trans–New Guinea languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross. The six languages,are clearly related....
, Mombum
Mombum languages
The Mombum languages are a pair of Trans–New Guinea languages, Koneraw and Mombum, spoken just off the southern coast of New Guinea.Mombum was first classified as a branch isolate of the Central and South New Guinea languages in Stephen Wurm's 1975 expansion for Trans–New Guinea, a position...
, and Momuna
Momuna languages
The Momuna languages, Momina and Momuna, also known as Somahai, are a family of two closely related Papuan languages. They were placed in the Central and South New Guinea branch of the Trans–New Guinea family by Wurm, but Malcolm Ross could not locate enough evidence to classify them....
. Ross's recension in 2005 retained nothing from Voohoeve and only Mombum from Wurm, though the Momuna languages were too sparsely attested for him to classify.