Mek 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)

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:

	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:

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

Mek reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma are:

Eipo language:

• mun ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’
• kuna ‘shadow’ < *k(a,o)nan
• saŋ ‘dancing song’ < *saŋ
• getane ‘sun’ < *kVtane

Bime language:

• mundo ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’

Kosarek language:

• ami ‘louse’ < *niman
• si ‘tooth’ < *(s,t)i(s,t)i
• tomo < *k(i,u)tuma ‘night’

Yale language:

• de ‘to burn’ < *nj(a,e,i)
• mon ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’
• xau ‘ashes’ < *kambu