Chimbu–Wahgi languages

Chimbu–Wahgi
Central–East New Guinea Highlands
Geographic distribution:	New Guinea
Linguistic classification:	Trans–New Guinea Chimbu–Wahgi
Subdivisions:	Chimbu Hagen Jimi Wahgi
Glottolog:	cent2120[1]
Map: The Chimbu–Wahgi languages of New Guinea   The Chimbu–Wahgi languages   Other Trans–New Guinea languages   Other Papuan languages   Austronesian languages   Uninhabited

The Chimbu–Wahgi languages are a family of the Trans–New Guinea languages.

Languages

There is little doubt that the Chimbu–Wahgi family is valid. The languages are:

• Chimbu–Wahgi family
  • Jimi branch: Maring, Narak–Kandawo
  • Wahgi branch: Nii, Wahgi, North Wahgi
  • Chimbu (Simbu) branch
    • Chuave–Nomane: Chuave, Nomane
    • Nuclear Chimbu
      • Golinic: Golin, Salt-Yui, Sinasina
      • Kuman: Dom, Kuman (Chimbu)
  • Hagen branch
    • Melpa (Medlpa), Mbo-Ung (Bo-Ung)
    • Kaugel: Imbo Ungu, Umbu-Ungu

Features

Several of the Chimbu–Wahgi languages have interesting lateral consonants. See Nii, Wahgi, and Kuman for examples. Tone is contrastive. The singular pronouns are:

	sg
1	*ná
2	*nim
3	*[y]é

Dual *-l and plural *-n reflect TNG forms.

References

1. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Central East New Guinea Highlands". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

• Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley, Robert Attenborough, Robin Hide, Jack Golson, eds. Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.