Baliem Valley languages
| Dani | |
|---|---|
| Balim Valley | |
| Geographic distribution | Highlands of Papua Province |
| Ethnicity | Dani, Lani, Yali, etc |
| Linguistic classification | Trans–New Guinea
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | dani1287 |
The Dani languages are a family of clearly related Trans–New Guinea languages spoken by the Dani and related peoples in the highlands of Papua Province, Indonesia. Foley (2003) considers their TNG status to be established. They may be most closely related to the languages of Paniai Lakes, but this is not yet clear. Capell (1962) had posited that their closest relatives were the Kwerba languages, which Ross (2005) rejects.
Languages
Larson (1977) divided the family into three branches based on lexicostatistics, and Nggem was later added as a fourth. The Ngalik languages are very poorly attested.
- Dani family
- Wano
- Nggem
- Central Dani: Hupla, Upper Grand Valley Dani, Lower Grand Valley Dani, Mid Grand Valley Dani, Western Dani–Walak
- Ngalik: Nduga, Silimo, Yali (dialect cluster)
The independent pronouns and possessive/object prefixes of Central Dani are:
sg pl 1 *an, *n[a] *ni-t, *nin[a]- 2 *ka-t, *k[a] *ki-t, *kin[a]- 3 *a-t, *∅/w- *i-t, *in[a]-
References
- Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.