East New Guinea Highlands languages
Encyclopedia
East New Guinea Highlands is a 1960 proposal by Stephen Wurm
for a family
of Papuan languages
spoken in Papua New Guinea
that formed part of his 1975 expansion of Trans–New Guinea. The original proposal consisted of West-Central (Engan), Central (Chimbu–Wahgi), East-Central (Goroka), and Eastern (Kainantu). Duna and Kalam were added in 1971. East New Guinea Highlands was broken up by Malcom Ross in his 2005 classification (see below), but all branches were retained, and all remain within the now expanded Trans–New Guinea. This language grouping should not be confused with the East Papuan languages
, a separate hypothesis.
Ross classified each of the families in bold as a separate branch of TNG, with the exceptions of Kainantu and Goroka, which he kept together; Kalam, which he linked to the Rai Coast family
; and Kenati, which he had insufficient data to classify but which has since been associated with Kainantu.
Ross believes that these languages lie near the homeland of proto–Trans New Guinea.
Stephen Wurm
Stephen Adolphe Wurm was a Hungarian-born Australian linguist.- Biography :Wurm was born in Budapest, the second child to the German-speaking Adolphe Wurm and Hungarian-speaking Anna Novroczky, and was christened Istvan Adolphe Wurm...
for a family
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 Papuan languages
Papuan languages
The Papuan languages are those languages of the western Pacific which are neither Austronesian nor Australian. The term does not presuppose a genetic relationship. The concept of Papuan peoples as distinct from Melanesians was first suggested and named by Sidney Herbert Ray in 1892.-The...
spoken in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
that formed part of his 1975 expansion of Trans–New Guinea. The original proposal consisted of West-Central (Engan), Central (Chimbu–Wahgi), East-Central (Goroka), and Eastern (Kainantu). Duna and Kalam were added in 1971. East New Guinea Highlands was broken up by Malcom Ross in his 2005 classification (see below), but all branches were retained, and all remain within the now expanded Trans–New Guinea. This language grouping should not be confused with the East Papuan languages
East Papuan languages
*Baining family*North Bougainville family — Bougainville*South Bougainville family — Bougainville*Central Solomon family...
, a separate hypothesis.
Family division
- WiruWiru languageWiru or Witu is the language spoken by the Wiru people of Ialibu-Pangia District of the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a language isolate within the family of Trans–New Guinea languages.-Further reading:...
isolate - KenatiKenati languageKenati is a poorly documented Papuan language spoken by only about 950 people in Papua New Guinea. It is also known as Aziana, Ganati, Kenathi. Specifically, it is spoken in 3 villages located in the Eastern Highlands Province, Wonenara District of Papua New Guinea.Wurm placed it in his East...
isolate - Duna–Pogaya family
- KalamKalam languagesThe Kalam languages are a small family of languages in the Madang branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages phylum of New Guinea.The languages are:They are famous for having perhaps the smallest numbers of lexical verbs of any languages in the world, with somewhere in the range of 100 to 120 verbs...
family: Gants, Kalam-KobonKobon language-Geographic distribution:Kobon is spoken in Madang Province and Western Highlands Province, north of Mount Hagen.-Vowels:Vowels are . and may be and word-initially...
, Tai - Eastern (Kainantu) family
- Owenia language
- Kambaira language
- Tairora branch: Binumarien, South Tairoa, North Tairoa, Waffa
- Gapsup branch: Agarabi, Awiyaana, Awa, GadsupGadsup languageGadsup is a Kainantu language spoken by the people of the same name in Papua New Guinea....
, Kosena, Ontenu, UsarufaUsarufa languageUsarufa is a Kainantu language spoken by the people of the same name in Papua New Guinea. It belongs to the Gauwa branch of the Kainantu family of the Kainantu–Goroka languages...
- Central (Chimbu–Wahgi) family
- Chimbu branch: Chuave, Dom, GolinGolin languageGolin is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea.-Vowels:Diphthongs that occur are . The consonants can also be syllabic.-Consonant:...
, Kuman, Nomane, Salt-Yui, Sinasina - Hagen branch
- MelpaMelpa languageMelpa is a Papuan language spoken by about 130,000 people predominantly in Mount Hagen and the surrounding district of Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea....
(Medlpa) language - Kaugel languages: Imbongu, Mbo-Ung, Umbu-Ungu
- Melpa
- Jimi branch: MaringMaring languageMaring , or Yoadabe-Watoare, is a Trans–New Guinea language of the Chimbu–Wahgi branch spoken in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Dialects are Central Maring, Eastern Maring, Timbunki, Tsuwenki, Karamba, Kambegl; Central Maring is understood by all....
, Narak, Kandawo - Wahgi branch: Nii, WahgiWahgi languageWahgi is a Trans–New Guinea language of the Chimbu–Wahgi branch spoken by approximately 100,000 people in the highlands of Papua New Guinea....
, North Wahgi
- Chimbu branch: Chuave, Dom, Golin
- East-Central (Goroka) family
- Gende languageGende languageGende is a Papuan language spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
- Fore branch: ForeFore languageFore is a Papuan language spoken in the Goroka District of Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea....
, GimiGimi languageGimi is a Papuan language spoken in Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.... - Gahuku branch: DanoDano languageDano is a Papuan language spoken by about 30,000 people in the Goroka District of Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.-External links:*...
(Upper Asaro), BenabenaBenabena languageBenabena is a Papuan language spoken in the Goroka District of Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea....
, Alekano (Gahuku), TokanoTokano languageTokano is a Trans-New Guinea language spoken by approximately 6000 people in the Goroka District of the Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. It is also known as Gamuso, Tokama, Yufiyufa, Zaka, Zuhozuho and Zuhuzuho....
(Lower Asaro) - Siane branch: SianeSiane languageSiane is a Papuan language spoken in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea.Named dialects are Kolepa, Yamofowe, Komongu, Komoigaleka, Kemanimowe, Ona, Keto, Laiya, Fowe, Olumba, Lambau, Alango, Yandime, Wando. Komongu and Lambau are the literary standards....
, Yaweyuha - Kamono-Yagaria branch: KamonoKamono languageKamono is a Papuan language spoken in Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea....
, Inoke-Yate, Kanite, Keyagana, YagariaYagaria languageYagaria is a Papuan language spoken in the Goroka District of Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Named dialects are Kami-Kulaka, Move, Ologuti, Dagenava, Kamate, Hira, Hua , Kotom....
- Gende language
- West-Central (EnganEngan languagesThe Engan languages are a family of Trans–New Guinea languages in the classification of Malcolm Ross. The nine languages are clearly related.* North Engan: Enga, Ipili, Lembena, Bisorio * Sount Engan: Huli, Angal, Samberigi , Kewa, Mendi...
) family- Huli languageHuli languageHuli is a Trans–New Guinea language spoken by the Huli people of the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. It features a quindecimal numeral system.-External links:***, Brian Cheetam. Papua New Guinea Journal of Education...
- Enga proper: EngaEnga languageEnga is a language of the East New Guinea Highlands that is spoken by approximately 180,000 people in Enga Province, Papua New Guinea. It has the largest body of speakers of any native language in New Guinea....
, NeteNete languageNete, also known as Bisorio, Malamauda, or Iniai, is an Engan language spoken in Papua New Guinea. The Nete and Bisorio dialects have limited mutual intelligibility....
, Ipili, LembenaLembena languageLembena, also known as Lembena Pii, Nanimba Pii, Uyalipa Pii, or Wapi Pii, is an Engan language spoken in Papua New Guinea. There are 1,760 speakers of the languages, of which 750 are monolingual....
, Bisorio - Angal-Kewa branch: Kyaka, Angal, Angal Heneng (Katinja), Angal Enen, Samberigi (Sau), West Kewa, East Kewa, Erave
- Huli language
Ross classified each of the families in bold as a separate branch of TNG, with the exceptions of Kainantu and Goroka, which he kept together; Kalam, which he linked to the Rai Coast family
Rai Coast languages
The Rai Coast languages are a family of languages in the Madang branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages phylum of New Guinea.Sidney Herbert Ray identified what was then known of the Rai Coast languages as a unit in 1919. They were linked with the Mabuso languages in 1951 by Arthur Capell in his...
; and Kenati, which he had insufficient data to classify but which has since been associated with Kainantu.
Ross believes that these languages lie near the homeland of proto–Trans New Guinea.