Meso-Melanesian languages explained

Meso-Melanesian
Region:	Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Familycolor:	Austronesian
Fam3:	Oceanic
Fam4:	Western Oceanic
Protoname:	Proto-Meso-Melanesian
Glotto:	meso1253
Glottorefname:	Meso Melanesian linkage

The Meso-Melanesian languages are a linkage of Oceanic languages spoken in the large Melanesian islands of New Ireland and the Solomon Islands east of New Guinea. Bali is one of the most conservative languages.

Composition

The languages group as follows:^[1]

• Willaumez linkage: Bola, Bulu, Meramera, Nakanai
• Bali–Vitu: Bali (Uneapa), Vitu (Muduapa) [may be a single language]
• New Ireland – Northwest Solomonic linkage

• • Tungag–Nalik family: Tigak, Tungag, Nalik, Laxudumau, Kara, Tiang
  • Tabar linkage: Madara (Tabar), Lihir, Notsi
  • Madak linkage: Barok, Lavatbura-Lamusong, Madak
  • Tomoip
  • St George linkage
    • Niwer Mil
    • Warwar Feni
    • Fanamaket
    • Sursurunga
    • Konomala
    • Patpatar–Tolai: Patpatar, Lungalunga (Minigir), Tolai (Kuanua)
    • Label–Bilur: Label, Bilur
    • Kandas–Ramoaaina: Kandas, Ramoaaina
    • Siar
    • Northwest Solomonic linkage

Ethnologue adds Guramalum to the St George linkage.

The Willaumez Peninsula on the north coast of New Britain was evidently the center of dispersal.

Johnston (1982) combines the Willaumez and Bali–Vitu branches into a single Kimbe branch, for which he reconstructs Proto-Kimbe.^[2]

Language contact

Lenition in Lamasong, Madak, Barok, Nalik, and Kara may have diffused via influence from Kuot, the only non-Austronesian language spoken on New Ireland (Ross 1994: 566).^[3]

Notes and References

1. Book: Lynch, John . John Lynch (linguist) . Malcolm Ross . Malcolm Ross (linguist) . Terry Crowley . Terry Crowley (linguist) . 2002 . The Oceanic languages . Richmond, Surrey . Curzon . 9780700711284 . 48929366 .
2. Johnston, R.L. 1982. "Proto-Kimbe and the New Guinea Oceanic hypothesis". In Halim, A., Carrington, L. and Wurm, S.A. editors. Papers from the Third International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, Vol. 1: Currents in Oceanic, 59–95.
3. Ross, Malcolm. 1994. Areal phonological features in north central New Ireland. In: Dutton and Tryon (eds.) Language contact and change in the Austronesian world, 551–572. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.