Madang languages
Encyclopedia
The Madang or Madang–Adelbert Range languages are the largest family
of Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) in the classification of Malcolm Ross
. William Foley
concurs that it is "highly likely" that the Madang languages are part of TNG. The family is named after Madang Province
and the Adelbert Range
.
identified the Rai Coast family in 1919. In 1951 these were linked with the Mabuso languages by Arthur Capell
to create his Madang family. John Z'graggen (1971, 1975) expanded Madang to languages of the Adelbert Range and renamed the family Madang–Adelbert Range, and Wurm (1975)http://www.ethnologue.com/15/show_family.asp?subid=91520 adopted this as a branch of his Trans–New Guinea phylum. For the most part, Ross's (2005) Madang family includes the same languages as Z'graggen Madang–Adelbert Range, but the internal classification is different in several respects, such as the dissolution of the Brahman
branch.
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
of Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) in the classification of Malcolm Ross
Malcolm Ross
Malcolm David Ross is a linguist and professor at the Australian National University. He has published work on Austronesian and Papuan languages, historical linguistics, and language contact.-External links:**...
. William Foley
William Foley
William Foley is an American linguist and professor at the University of Sydney. He specialises in Papuan and Austronesian languages. He is perhaps best known for his 1986 book The Papuan Languages of New Guinea and his partnership with Robert Van Valin in the development of role and reference...
concurs that it is "highly likely" that the Madang languages are part of TNG. The family is named after Madang Province
Madang Province
Madang is a province on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The province has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages...
and the Adelbert Range
Adelbert Range
Adelbert Range is a mountain range in Madang Province, north-central Papua New Guinea, at . Highest point of the mountains is at 1716 m. As other mountain ranges in Papua New Guinea it is cloaked in rainforest and is home to many rare species of fauna and flora and is highly biodiverse. Adelbert...
.
History
Sidney Herbert RaySidney Herbert Ray
Sidney Herbert Ray was a comparative and descriptive linguist who specialized in Melanesian languages. In 1892, he read an important paper, The languages of British New Guinea, to the Ninth International Congress of Orientalists. In that paper, he established the distinction between the...
identified the Rai Coast family in 1919. In 1951 these were linked with the Mabuso languages by Arthur Capell
Arthur Capell
Arthur Capell was an Australian linguist, who made major contributions to the study of Australian languages, Austronesian languages and Papuan languages.-Life:...
to create his Madang family. John Z'graggen (1971, 1975) expanded Madang to languages of the Adelbert Range and renamed the family Madang–Adelbert Range, and Wurm (1975)http://www.ethnologue.com/15/show_family.asp?subid=91520 adopted this as a branch of his Trans–New Guinea phylum. For the most part, Ross's (2005) Madang family includes the same languages as Z'graggen Madang–Adelbert Range, but the internal classification is different in several respects, such as the dissolution of the Brahman
Brahman languages
Brahman is an old proposed language family of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea that consisted of 4 languages: Biyom, Faita, Isabi, Tauya.-Genetic relations:...
branch.
Internal classification
In the outline of the Ross (2000) classification below, those nodes in bold are clearly valid families, consisting of closely related languages. The branches not in bold are likely subject to further revision.- Southern Adelbert Range–Kowan
- KowanKowan languagesThe Kowan languages are a small family of languages spoken in the Adelbert Range area of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.The languages are Waskia, with 20,000 speakers, and Korak, with 500....
family - Southern Adelbert Range
- Josephstaal
- Osum (Utarmbung) isolate
- WadaginamWadaginam languageWadaginam is a divergent Madang language of the Adelbert Range of Papua New Guinea....
isolate - Sikan family: Mum (Katiati), Sileibi
- Pomoikan family: Anam (Pondoma), AnamguraAnamgura languageAnamgura is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
(Ikundun), Moresada
- Wanang
- PaynamarPaynamar languagePaynamar is a divergent Madang language of the Adelbert Range of Papua New Guinea....
isolate - Atan family: Atemble, NendNend languageNend is a Papuan language spoken by the Angaua people of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
(Angaua) - Emuan family: ApaliApali languageApali is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. Aki is a dialect....
(Emerum), Musak
- Paynamar
- FaitaFaita languageFaita is a divergent and nearly extinct Madang language of the Adelbert Range of Papua New Guinea. It was once placed in the now-defunct Brahman branch of Madang....
isolate
- Josephstaal
- Kowan
- Rai Coast–Kalam
- Rai CoastRai Coast languagesThe Rai Coast languages are a family of languages in the Madang branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages phylum of New Guinea.Sidney Herbert Ray identified what was then known of the Rai Coast languages as a unit in 1919. They were linked with the Mabuso languages in 1951 by Arthur Capell in his...
family - KalamKalam languagesThe Kalam languages are a small family of languages in the Madang branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages phylum of New Guinea.The languages are:They are famous for having perhaps the smallest numbers of lexical verbs of any languages in the world, with somewhere in the range of 100 to 120 verbs...
family (perhaps part of Rai Coast)
- Rai Coast
- Croisilles linkageLinkage (linguistics)In linguistics, a linkage is a group of undoubtedly related languages for which no proto-language can be reconstructed. Malcolm Ross, who coined the term, defined it as “a group of communalects which have arisen by dialect differentiation” ....
(Northern Adelbert Range; few branches retain traditional membership)- Dimir–Malas (Isumrud): DimirDimir languageDimir, also known as Bosiken , is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
, Malas - Kaukombar: BargamBargam languageBargam is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, mainly by adults.Once placed in its own branch, Bargam was reassigned to the Kaukombar languages by Ross ....
(Mugil), Mala (Pay), Miani (Tani), MaiaMaia languageMaia is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. Other names for the language are Banar, Pila, Saki, Suaro, Turutap, and Yakiba....
(Pila, Saki) - Kumil: BremBrem languageBrem , also known as Bunabun , is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.Once placed in an 'Isumrud' branch, with Dimir and Malas, Brem was reassigned to the Kumil languages by Ross ....
(Bunabun), Bepour, MauwakeMauwake languageMauwake is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
(Ulingan), Moere, Musar - Tibor–Omosa
- Omosan: PalPal languagePal is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea....
(Abasakur), Kobol (Koguman) - Tiboran: Kowaki, Mawak, PamosuPamosu languagePamosu is a Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. Some of the older generation can speak Pal, a related language....
(Hinihon), Wanambre
- Omosan: Pal
- AmaimonAmaimon languageAmaimon is a Papuan language spoken by 1,781 people in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.-Writing system:...
isolate - Numugen–Mabuso
- NumugenNumugen languagesThe Numugen languages are a small family of closely related languages in the Madang branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages phylum of New Guinea.The languages are Bilakura, Parawen, Ukuriguma, Usan , Yaben, and Yarawata....
family - MabusoMabuso languagesThe Mabuso languages are a small family of closely related languages in New Guinea. They were linked with the Rai Coast languages in 1951 by Arthur Capell in his Madang family, which Wurm included in his Trans–New Guinea phylum...
family
- Numugen
- Dimir–Malas (Isumrud): Dimir
External links
- The Madang–Adelbert Range languages in Ethnologue, showing Z'graggen's classification as set out by Wurm