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Wikipedia / Mek languages

The Mek languages are a well established family of Papuan languages spoken by the Mek people and Yali people. They form a branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) in the classifications of Stephen Wurm (1975) and of Malcolm Ross (2005).

Mek, then called Goliath, was identified by M. Bromley in 1967. It was placed in TNG by Wurm (1975).

Languages

The Mek languages form three dialect chains (Heeschen 1998):

Proto-language

Phonemes

Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant and vowel inventories as 'perhaps' as follows:

  1. {|

| *m || *n || || *ŋ || |- | *p || *t || || *k || *kʷ |- | *(m)b || *(n)d || || *(ŋ)g || *(ŋ)gʷ |- | || *s || || || |- | *w || *l || *j || || |}

  1. {|

|i|| ||u |- |e|| ||o |- |ɛ|| ||ɔ |- | ||a||ɒ |}

  1. {|

|ei||ou |- |ɛi||ɔu |- |ai||au |- |aɛ||aɔ |}

Pronouns

Pronouns are:

  1. {| class="wikitable"

! !!sg!!pl |- !1 |*na||*nu[n] |- !2 |*kan||*kun (?) |- !3 |*ɛl |*tun, *[t/s]ig |}

The difference between the two 3pl forms is not known. 2pl and 3pl have parallels in Momuna /kun tun/.

Basic vocabulary

Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:

  1. {| class="wikitable sortable"

! gloss !! Proto-Mek !! Proto-East Mek !! Kimyal !! Proto-Northwest Mek !! Proto-Momuna-Mek !! Momuna |- ! hair/feather | *p[ɔ]t[ɔ]ŋ || *pɔtɔŋ || osoŋ || *hɔŋ || || |- ! ear/twelve | *aᵓ || || ɔ || *aᵓ || || |- ! eye | *atiŋ || *asiŋ || isiŋ || *haⁱŋ || *ɒtig || ɒtù |- ! tooth/sharp | *jo̝ || || || || *jo̝ || jó |- ! tongue | *se̝l[ija]mu || *[se̝]l[ija]mu || selamu || *se̝l[i]mu || || |- ! foot/leg | *jan || *jan || jan || *jan || *j[a/ɒ]n || |- ! blood | *e̝ne̝ŋ || *ɪnɪŋ || eneŋ || *e̝ne̝ŋ || *jo̝ne̝g || |- ! bone | *jɔk || *jɔk || jw-aʔ || *jɔʔ[ɔ] || || |- ! breast | *mɔᵘm || *mɔᵘm || moᵘm || *mɔᵘm || *mɔᵘm || mɒ̃ᵘ |- ! louse | *ami || *ami || imi || *ami || *ami || ami |- ! dog | *gam || *[k/g]am || gam || *gam || *gɒm || kɒ̀ |- ! pig | *be̝sam || *bɪsam || || *bham || || wɒ́ |- ! bird | *mak, *mag || *mak || -ma (?) || *-ma (?) || *mak || má |- ! egg/fruit/seed | *do̝[k] || *dʊk || do || *do̝[k] || || dɒko ~ dɒku |- ! tree/wood | *gal || || gal || *gal || *gɒl || kɒ̀ |- ! woman/wife | *ge̝l || *[k/g]ɪl || gel || *ge̝l || || |- ! sun | *k[ɛ]t[e̝]ŋ || *k[ɛ]t[ɪ]ŋ || isiŋ || *he̝ŋ || || |- ! moon | *wal || *wal || wal || *wal || || |- ! water/river | *m[ɛ/a]g || *mɛk || mag || *m[ɛ/a]g || || |- ! fire | *o̝ᵘg || *ʊᵘk || ug || *[u]g || || |- ! stone | *gɛⁱl; *gidig || *[k/g]ɛⁱl || girig || *gidig || || kè |- ! path/way | *bi[t/s]ig || *bi[t/s]ik || bisig || *bhig || || |- ! name | *si || *si || si || *si || *si || si |- ! eat/drink | *de̝-(b) || *dɪ-(b) || de- || *de̝-(b) || || de- |- ! one | *[na]tɔn || *tɔn || nason || *nhɔn || || |- ! two/ring finger | *b[e̝/ɛ]te̝ne̝ || *b[ɪ/ɛ]tɪnɪ || besene || *bhe̝ne̝ || || |}

Modern reflexes

Mek reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma are:

Eipo language:

  • mun ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’

  • kuna ‘shadow’ < *k(a,o)nan

  • saŋ ‘dancing song’ < *saŋ

  • getane ‘sun’ < *kVtane

Bime language:

  • mundo ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’

Kosarek language:

  • ami ‘louse’ < *niman

  • si ‘tooth’ < *(s,t)i(s,t)i

  • tomo < *k(i,u)tuma ‘night’

Yale language:

  • de ‘to burn’ < *nj(a,e,i)

  • mon ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’

  • xau ‘ashes’ < *kambu

Further reading

  • Heeschen, Volker. 1978. The Mek languages of Irian Jaya with special reference to the Eipo language. Irian 7(2): 3–46.

  • Heeschen, Volker. 1992. The position of the Mek languages of Irian Jaya among the Papuan languages: History, typology and speech. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 148(3/4): 465–488.

References