Mian language
Trans–New Guinea language spoken in Papua New Guinea
title: "Mian language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["languages-of-sandaun-province", "languages-of-east-sepik-province", "ok-languages", "tonal-languages"] description: "Trans–New Guinea language spoken in Papua New Guinea" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mian_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Trans–New Guinea language spoken in Papua New Guinea ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mian |
| states | Papua New Guinea |
| region | Sandaun province, |
| Telefomin district | |
| ethnicity | Mianmin |
| speakers | from 1,400 |
| date | 2000 census |
| ref | e18 |
| speakers2 | to 3,500 (2007) |
| familycolor | Papuan |
| fam1 | Trans–New Guinea |
| fam2 | Central & South New Guinea ? |
| fam3 | Ok |
| fam4 | Mountain |
| iso3 | mpt |
| lc1 | sug |
| glotto | mian1255 |
| glottorefname | Mianic |
| ELP2 | 10676 |
| ELPname2 | Suganga |
| notice | IPA |
| :: |
|name = Mian |states = Papua New Guinea |region = Sandaun province, Telefomin district |ethnicity = Mianmin |speakers = from 1,400 |date = 2000 census |ref = e18 |speakers2 = to 3,500 (2007) |familycolor = Papuan |fam1 = Trans–New Guinea |fam2=Central & South New Guinea ? |fam3 = Ok |fam4 = Mountain |iso3 = mpt |lc1 = sug |ld1 = Suganga |glotto=mian1255 |glottorefname=Mianic |ELP2=10676 |ELPname2=Suganga |notice = IPA
Mian is an Ok language spoken in the Telefomin district of the Sandaun province in Papua New Guinea by the Mian people. It has some 3,500 speakers spread across two dialects: West Mian (a.k.a. Suganga), with approximately 1,000 speakers in around Yapsiei, and East Mian, with approximately 2,500 speakers in and around Timeilmin, Temsakmin, Sokamin, Gubil, Fiak and Hotmin.
Phonology
Phonologically, Mian is very similar to other Papuan languages in the size of its phoneme inventory, but it nevertheless has some peculiarities, such as its contrast between a plain [a] and a pharyngealized [aˤ]. It is also a tonal language.
Vowels
Mian has six vowels, including the pharyngealized open front vowel.
::data[format=table title="Mian vowels"]
| Front | Back | Unrounded | Rounded | Close | Close-mid | Open-mid | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | u | ||||||
| o | |||||||
| e | |||||||
| a | |||||||
| aa | |||||||
| :: |
Mian also has four diphthongs:
::data[format=table title="Mian diphthongs"]
| Ending with | Ending with |
|---|---|
| ai | au |
| ei | ou |
| :: |
/ɛ/ is realized as [ə] in word-initial low-tone syllables, [ɛ] elsewhere.
/a/ is realized as [ɐ] in unaccented syllables, [ə] in word-initial low-tone syllables beginning with a consonant, [a] elsewhere.
/o/ is realized as [ɔ] in word-initial low-tone syllables and in syllables ending in a voiceless plosive or [ŋ], [o] elsewhere.
/u/ is realized as [ʊ] in word-initial low-tone syllables, [u] elsewhere.
Consonants
Mian has 16 consonants:
::data[format=table title="Mian consonants"]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | Plain | Labialized | Plosive | Voiceless | Voiced | Nasal | Fricative | Approximant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
is realized as word-initially, or [p̚] syllable-finally, [b] elsewhere. : Examples: banǒn [ᵐbànǒn] lower arm, mǎab [mǎˤːp̚] frog, teběl [tʰɛ̀bɛ̌l] ant
/t/ is realized as [tʰ] before vowels, [tʰ] or [t̚] syllable-finally. : Examples: tam [tʰàm] temple, mát [mát̚] gall bladder
/k/ is realized as [kʰ] before vowels, [kʰ] or [k̚] syllable-finally, sometimes [x] between vowels, [qʰ] before [aˤ]. : Examples: kemin [kʰèmìn] to do, manggěk [màŋgɛ̌k̚] bee, okok [òxòk̚] work, kaawá [qʰàˤwá] steel axe
/ɡ/ is realized as [ᵑɡ] word-initially, [ɡ] elsewhere. : Examples: gát [ᵑɡát̚] mole, manggěk [màŋɡɛ̌k̚] bee
/ɡʷ/ is realized as [ᵑɡʷ] word-initially, [ɡʷ] elsewhere. : Examples: gwaán [ᵑɡʷàán] spider, gwalgwal [ᵑɡʷàlɡʷàl] twins
Tones
Mian has five tonemes, which apply at the word-stem level:
::data[format=table title="Mian tones"]
| Tone | Example |
|---|---|
| Low | am [àm] house |
| High | án [án] arrow |
| Low-High | ǎam [ǎˤːm] Pandanus species |
| High-Low | hâs [hâs] hat |
| Low-High-Low | aam [àˤːm̂] older sister |
| :: |
The tones of Mian are very complex, as they are subject to various phonological processes, and furthermore, they can be used for indicating various grammatical aspects, especially in connection with verbs, where the tones are crucial for understanding.
Consider the two verb forms below, being non-hodiernal and imperfective respectively: : dolâbībe [dòlábíbè] I wrote : dolâbibe [dòlábìbè] I am writing
Nouns
Large objects in Mian are feminine, while small objects are masculine.
|imen-e |taro-M |'small/one taro'}}
|imen-o |taro-F |'large taro/large quantity of taro'}}
References
Digital resources
References
- Fedden, Olcher Sebastian. (2007). "A Grammar of Mian, a Papuan Language of New Guinea". University of Melbourne.
- Foley, William A.. (2018). "The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide". De Gruyter Mouton.
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