Puneet Varma (Editor)

Markham languages

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Glottolog:
  
mark1257

Geographic distribution:
  
Madang and Morobe Provinces, Papua New Guinea

Linguistic classification:
  
Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Western Oceanic North New Guinea ? Ngero–Vitiaz ? Huon Gulf Markham

The family of Markham languages is a family of the Huon Gulf languages. It consists of a dozen languages spoken in the Ramu Valley, Markham Valley and associated valley systems in the lowlands of the Madang and Morobe Provinces of Papua New Guinea.

Contents

Languages

Labu (= Hapa)

Lower Markham
Aribwaung (= Aribwaungg, Yalu), Aribwatsa† (= Lae, Lahe), Musom, Nafi (= Sirak), Duwet (= Guwot, Waing), Wampar, Silisili (Middle Watut), Maralango (South Watut), Dangal (South Watut)
Upper Markham
Adzera (dialect cluster: Sarasira, Sukurum), Mari, Wampur

Shared features

The most definitive work on the Markham languages is The Markham Languages of Papua New Guinea by Susanne Holzknecht, which established a common descent from Proto Huon Gulf. It did so on the basis of shared phonological, morphosyntactic and lexicosemantic innovations.

Although the Markham languages are Austronesian, they have had much contact with neighbouring Papuan languages.

References

Markham languages Wikipedia
(Text) CC BY-SA