The Mek languages are a well established family of Papuan languages spoken by the Mek peoples. They form a branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) in the classifications of Stephen Wurm (1975) and of Malcolm Ross (2005).
Mek | |
---|---|
Goliath | |
Ethnicity | Mek people |
Geographic distribution | New Guinea |
Linguistic classification | Trans–New Guinea |
Glottolog | mekk1240 |
Map: The Mek languages of New Guinea
The Mek languages
Other Trans–New Guinea languages
Other Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Uninhabited |
Mek, then called Goliath, was identified by M. Bromley in 1967. It was placed in TNG by Wurm (1975).
The Mek languages form three dialect chains (Heeschen 1998):
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant and vowel inventories as 'perhaps' as follows:[2]
*m | *n | *ŋ | ||
*p | *t | *k | *kʷ | |
*(m)b | *(n)d | *(ŋ)g | *(ŋ)gʷ | |
*s | ||||
*w | *l | *j |
i | u | |
e | o | |
ɛ | ɔ | |
a | ɒ |
ei | ou |
ɛi | ɔu |
ai | au |
aɛ | aɔ |
Pronouns are:[2]
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/.
Some lexical reconstructions by Usher (2020) are:[2]
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 |
The following basic vocabulary words are from McElhanon & Voorhoeve (1970),[3] Voorhoeve (1975),[4] and Heeschen (1978),[5] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[6]
gloss | Eipomek | Korapun-Sela | Nalca | Una | Yale, Korsarek | Ketengban |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
head | kiisok | asak | huk | heiyɔ´; khe yok | giso | |
hair | fotong | asuŋ | hoŋ | otoŋ | hong; hɔŋ | potong |
ear | amol | amalé | amol | |||
eye | asing | isiŋ | hiŋ | atsiŋ | heiŋ; hɩng | asorue |
nose | uu | uryam | u | |||
tooth | sii | si | si | tsi | si | tsi |
tongue | sii tang | selemú | lyemngwe | |||
leg | yan saŋ | yan | yan | yan | ||
louse | amnye | wutnavu | amnya | ami; ami´ | amnye | |
dog | kam | kʰam; kham | kam | kam | kam | |
pig | basam | pham | pham | uduk | pam; pham | besam |
bird | make | winaŋ | winiŋ | mai | winang; winaŋ | ma |
egg | duk | waŋga | doug | winaŋ wana; winang wangká | do | |
blood | ining | iniŋ | iniŋ | eneŋ; ining | yabye | |
bone | yoke | iaŋ birin | yog | yok; you | yo | |
skin | boxa | phok | kon | |||
breast | taram | saram | taram | |||
tree | yo | kal; khal | kal; khal | kal | co | |
man | nimi | nim | nimi | |||
woman | kilape | kəlabo | nerape | |||
sky | iim | im | im | |||
sun | ketinge | isiŋ | hiŋ | hein; hɛng | getane | |
moon | wale | wal | ware | |||
water | mek | mak | mek | meye | mak | me |
fire | uukwe | uk | uk | uke | ouk̂; ow | ukwe |
stone | kedinge | khirik | kirik | waliŋ | kirik | gil |
road, path | biisiik | bi | bisi | |||
name | sii | utnimi | si | si | si | |
eat | dibmal | dilom | kwaːniŋ | el dilamla; tiu loŋa | jibmar | |
one | ton | thoxunok | nhon | otunohon; se'lek | tegen | |
two | bisini | phein | pɛndɛ; phende | bitini |
Mek reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma are:[7]