Dagan
Meneao Range
Geographic
distribution
Meneao Range, southeastern peninsula of Papua New Guinea:
Central Province and Milne Bay Province
Linguistic classificationTrans–New Guinea
Glottologdaga1274

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 TransNew Guinea.

Languages

The languages are:[1]

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:[2]

sgpl
1 *n[e/a]*nu
2 *g[e/a]*j[e/a]
3 *me*mV

Vocabulary comparison

The following basic vocabulary words are from SIL field notes (1965, 1967, 1973), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[3]

glossDagaDimaMaiwa
head iwaunakwi'.unwa; kuiyunwa
hair igumewadebagu'mawa; huiawa
ear darinewataii(na)nau'nawa; naunáwa
eye yamewayamanayaŋganwa; yaŋ'ganwa
nose ginewagianaginawa; gi'nunwa
tooth nodonewawari(na)do'nawa; donáwa
tongue mɛriwapepa(na)phed'nawa; pedt nawa
leg wanaai'raniwa; beawa
louse kuisinigukwhi'sin; nagam; usiwa
dog eaokwegawakwhe'.au; kueyao
pig tuanboro'bui
bird nɛnipmidiwarinenip; ve'khæthu
egg baguadodopiba'giwa; gat toda; kokorek bagiwa
blood dɛniptawayanadi
bone kaemewa(e)reguramařɛt'nawa
skin ɛpiwaetonakoápiwa; pha'phunwa
breast amewaamaam
tree omanai; ioma
man apanapanaapan; a'phan
woman oaenwawinave'sin; wɛsin
sun oamgabudarakum; khum
moon siragamdededut; duth
water kaumoaioi; yoi
fire omaiaremaíam; yaŋ'gawa
stone agimakimaagim; 'agim
road, path neiginiyawaɛbu; 'ɛbu
name yaoaewanii'vi wa
eat naiwanmɛ 'nane; naiwi
one daitondaiidadesi'řoe; désirom
two dɛrɛuridúam; duːʌm

Evolution

Dagan reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma:[4]

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[CV]
  • nene 'bird' < *n(e)i

References

Notes
  1. NewGuineaWorld – Meneao Range
  2. New Guinea World, Owen Stanley Range
  3. Greenhill, Simon (2016). "TransNewGuinea.org - database of the languages of New Guinea". Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  4. Pawley, Andrew; Hammarström, Harald (2018). "The Trans New Guinea family". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 21–196. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
Sources
  • 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.
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