The Dagan or Meneao Range languages are a small family of Trans–New Guinea languages spoken in the Meneao Range of the " Bird's Tail" (southeastern peninsula) of New Guinea, the easternmost Papuan languages on the mainland. They are the most divergent of the several small families within the Southeast Papuan branch of Trans–New Guinea.

Languages

The languages are: * Onjob * Southwest ** Daga ** Maiwa language, Mapena * East ** Southeast: Ginuman, Kanasi (Sona) ** Northeast: Dima (Jimajima), Umanakaina (Gwedena), and the nearly extinct Turaka Although clearly related, they are not particularly close. Umanakaina and Ginuman, for example, are only 23% lexically similar.

Pronouns

Usher (2020) reconstructs the pronouns as:New Guinea World, Owen Stanley Range
/ref> :

Vocabulary comparison

The following basic vocabulary words are from SIL field notes (1965, 1967, 1973), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database: :

Evolution

Dagan reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma: Daga language: *''ama'' 'breast' < *amu *''meri (nawa)'' 'tongue' < *me(l,n)e *''ira'' 'tree' < *inda Kanasi language: *''asi'' 'ear' < *kand(e,i)k(V] *''etepa'' 'bark' < *(ŋg,k)a(nd,t)apu 'skin' *''obosa'' 'wind' < *kumbutu *''oman'' 'stone' < *ka(m,mb)u V*''nene'' 'bird' < *n(e)i

References

;Notes ;Sources * {{Papuan languages Southeast Papuan languages Languages of Milne Bay Province Languages of Oro Province