Mek languages
Trans–New Guinea language branch
title: "Mek languages" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mek-languages", "languages-of-papua-new-guinea", "momuna–mek-languages"] description: "Trans–New Guinea language branch" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mek_languages" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Trans–New Guinea language branch ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language family"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mek |
| altname | Goliath |
| ethnicity | Mek people and Yali people |
| region | Yahukimo and Pegunungan Bintang, Highland Papua |
| familycolor | Papuan |
| fam1 | Trans–New Guinea |
| fam2 | Central West New Guinea |
| fam3 | Momuna–Mek |
| glotto | mekk1240 |
| glottorefname | Mek |
| map | Mek languages.svg |
| mapcaption | Map: The Mek languages of New Guinea |
| :: |
|name=Mek |altname=Goliath |ethnicity=Mek people and Yali people |region=Yahukimo and Pegunungan Bintang, Highland Papua |familycolor=Papuan |fam1=Trans–New Guinea |fam2=Central West New Guinea |fam3=Momuna–Mek |glotto=mekk1240 |glottorefname=Mek |map=Mek languages.svg |mapcaption=Map: The Mek languages of New Guinea
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):
- Eastern: Ketengban (including Okbap, Omban, Bime, Onya), Una (Goliath), Eipomek
- Northern: Kosarek Yale–Nipsan, Nalca
- Western: Korupun-Sela (including Dagi, Sisibna, Deibula)
Proto-language
Phonemes
Usher (2020) reconstructs the consonant and vowel inventories as 'perhaps' as follows:
:{| | *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
Pronouns are: :{| 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:
:{| 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:
- mun ‘belly’
- kuna ‘shadow’
- saŋ ‘dancing song’
- getane ‘sun’
- mundo ‘belly’
- ami ‘louse’
- si ‘tooth’
- tomo
- de ‘to burn’
- mon ‘belly’
- xau ‘ashes’
References
References
- [https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/central-west-new-guinea/momuna-mek Momuna–Mek, New Guinea World]
- [https://newguineaworld.linguistik.uzh.ch/families/trans-new-guinea/central-west-new-guinea/momuna-mek/mek New Guinea World]
- (2018). "The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide". De Gruyter Mouton.
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