Goilalan languages
The Goilalan or Wharton Range languages are a language family spoken around the Wharton Range in the "Bird's Tail" of New Guinea. They were classified as a branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages by Stephen Wurm, but only tentatively retained there in the classification of Malcolm Ross and removed entirely by Timothy Usher.Languages
The languages are,
The languages are clearly related, especially northern Biagai, Kunimaipa, and Weri, which might be considered divergent dialects.Pronouns are:
- Northern: 1sg ne, 2sg ni, 3sg pi
- Tauade/Fuyug: 1sg na, 2sg nu
Tauade also has the possessive pronouns ne-ve, ni-e.Evolution
reflexes of purported proto-Trans-New Guinea etyma are:
- baba ‘father’ < *mbapa
- sabe ‘saliva’ < *siat
- magata ‘mouth, jaw’ < *maŋgat
- mele-pila ‘tongue’ < *mele-mbilaŋ
- imu ‘eye’ < *amu
- ije ‘tree’ < *inda
