The Chimbu–Wahgi languages are a

language family A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ''ancestral language'' or ''parental language'', called the proto-language of that family. The term "family" reflects the tree model of language origination in his ...

sometimes included in the Trans–New Guinea proposal.

Languages

There is little doubt that the Chimbu–Wahgi family is valid. The languages are:Usher, Timothy
Simbu-Western Highlands
''New Guinea World''. *Chimbu–Wahgi family **Chimbu (Simbu) branch **: Kuman (Chimbu), Chuave, Nomane, Golin– Dom, Salt-Yui,

Sinasina Sinasina is a term used to refer to for several Chimbu–Wahgi language varieties of Tabare Rural LLG (also called Sinasina), Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea. The term 'Sinasina' as a language name is an exonym. Speakers of the varieties of th ...

**Western Highlands *** Jimi River ***: Maring, Narak– Kandawo *** Wahgi Valley ***: Nii, Wahgi, North Wahgi (= Yu We?) *** Mount Hagen **** Melpa (Medlpa) **** Kaugel River:

Imbo Ungu Kaugel (Gawigl) is one of the languages spoken in the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. Native speakers call the area on the Southern Highlands side of the Kaugel River from the Western Highlands province home. Dialects are Aua ...

, Umbu-Ungu, Mbo-Ung (Bo-Ung)

Phonology

Several of the Chimbu–Wahgi languages have uncommon

lateral consonant A lateral is a consonant in which the airstream proceeds along one or both of the sides of the tongue, but it is blocked by the tongue from going through the middle of the mouth. An example of a lateral consonant is the English ''L'', as in ''La ...

s: see Nii, Wahgi, and Kuman for examples. Chimbu–Wahgi languages have contrastive tone.

Pronouns

The singular pronouns are: : Dual *-l and plural *-n reflect Trans–New Guinea forms.

Evolution

Middle Wahgi reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma: *''ama'' ‘mother’ < *am(a,i) *''amu'' ‘breast’ < *amu *''numan'' ‘louse’ < *niman *''numan'' ‘thought, mind, will’ < *n(o,u) *''man, muŋ'' ‘fruit, nut, lump’ *''muŋgum'' ‘kidney’ < *maŋgV ‘round object’ *''mundmuŋ'' ‘heart’ < *mundun-maŋgV *''mokum, mokem'' ‘knuckle, joint’ < *mo(k,ŋg)Vm ‘joint’ *''mundun mo''- ‘be pot bellied’ < *mundun ‘internal organs, belly’ *''ŋaŋ'' ‘small male child’ < *ŋaŋ ‘baby’ *''apa''- ‘maternal uncle’ < *apa ‘father’ *''embe(m)'' ‘name’ < *imbi ‘name’ *''muk'' ‘blue’ < *muk *''tuk''- ‘chop’ < *tVk- ‘cut, cut off’ *''no''- ‘eat’ < *na- *''mek si''- ‘to vomit’ *''mek'' ‘vomitus’ < *makV + t(e,i)- ‘to vomit’

References

External links

Kaipuleohone Kaipuleohone is a digital ethnographic archive that houses audio and visual files, photographs, as well as hundreds of textual material such as notes, dictionaries, and transcriptions relating to small and endangered languages. The archive is stored ...