Meso-Melanesian languages
| Meso-Melanesian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands |
| Linguistic classification: | Austronesian
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| Subdivisions: |
—
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The Meso Melanesian languages are a moderately supported group of Oceanic languages spoken in the large Melanesian islands of New Ireland and the Solomon Islands east of New Guinea.
[edit] Composition
A 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database[1] supported the unity of Meso-Melanesian, including Southeast Solomonic, at an 82% confidence level. In addition, it supported core Meso-Melanesian, excluding Southeast Solomonic and Vitu–Bali, at an 84% confidence level. The traditional group of New Ireland languages, however, was broken up, into Northwest Solomonic and New Ireland proper.
- Southeast Solomonic (languages of Guadalcanal, Gela, Malaita, Makira, and south Isabel in the Solomon Islands)
- Bali–Vitu languages
- Core Meso-Melanesian
- St Matthias
- Northwest Solomonic (languages of Choiseul, New Georgia, and Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands)
- Nehan–Bougainville (Austronesian languages of Bougainville)
- New Ireland languages (reduced; languages of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea)
There is moderate support for some subgrouping, with broad Meso-Melanesian, core Meso-Melanesian, and Bougainville – Northwest Solomonic each supported at about an 80% confidence level:
| (82%) |
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The Bilur language, which is not closely related to other Melanesian languages, likely falls somewhere in the Bougainville–Northwest Solomonic group.
