The Dagan or Meneao Range languages are a small family of Trans–New Guinea languages spoken in the Meneao Range of the "Bird's Tail" (southeastern peninsula) of New Guinea, the easternmost Papuan languages on the mainland. They are the most divergent of the several small families within the Southeast Papuan branch of Trans–New Guinea.
Languages The languages are:NewGuineaWorld – Meneao Range Onjob Southwest Daga Maiwa language, Mapena East Southeast: Ginuman, Kanasi (Sona) Northeast: Dima (Jimajima), Umanakaina (Gwedena), and the nearly extinct Turaka
Although clearly related, they are not particularly close. Umanakaina and Ginuman, for example, are only 23% lexically similar.
Pronouns Usher (2020) reconstructs the pronouns as:New Guinea World, Owen Stanley Range
! !!sg!!pl |- !1 |*n[e/a]||*nu |- !2 |*g[e/a]||*j[e/a] |- !3 |*me||*mV
Vocabulary comparison The following basic vocabulary words are from SIL field notes (1965, 1967, 1973), as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database.
The words cited constitute translation equivalents, whether they are cognate (e.g. giana, ginewa, ginawa for “nose”) or not (e.g. iyawa, neigin, ɛbu for “road”).
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! gloss !! Dima !! Daga !! Maiwa |- ! head | una | iwa || kwi'.unwa; kuiyunwa |- ! hair | deba | igumewa || gu'mawa; huiawa |- ! ear | taii(na) | darinewa || nau'nawa; naunáwa |- ! eye | yamana | yamewa || yaŋganwa; yaŋ'ganwa |- ! nose | giana | ginewa || ginawa; gi'nunwa |- ! tooth | wari(na) | nodonewa || do'nawa; donáwa |- ! tongue | pepa(na) | mɛriwa || phed'nawa; pedt nawa |- ! leg | wana | || ai'raniwa; beawa |- ! louse | igu | kuisin || kwhi'sin; nagam; usiwa |- ! dog | kwegawa | eao || kwhe'.au; kueyao |- ! pig | boro | tuan || 'bui |- ! bird | midiwari | nɛnip || nenip; ve'khæthu |- ! egg | dodopi | bagua || ba'giwa; gat toda; kokorek bagiwa |- ! blood | tawayana | dɛnip || di |- ! bone | (e)regura | kaemewa || mařɛt'nawa |- ! skin | etona | ɛpiwa || koápiwa; pha'phunwa |- ! breast | ama | amewa || am |- ! tree | na | oma || i; ioma |- ! man | apana | apan || apan; a'phan |- ! woman | wawina | oaen || ve'sin; wɛsin |- ! sun | gabudara | oam || kum; khum |- ! moon | dede | siragam || dut; duth |- ! water | oa | kaum || ioi; yoi |- ! fire | iarema | oma || íam; yaŋ'gawa |- ! stone | akima | agim || agim; 'agim |- ! road, path | iyawa | neigin || ɛbu; 'ɛbu |- ! name | ewani | yaoa || i'vi wa |- ! eat | | naiwan || mɛ 'nane; naiwi |- ! one | daiida | daiton || desi'řoe; désirom |- ! two | uri | dɛrɛ || dúam; duːʌm
Evolution Dagan reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma:
Daga language: ama 'breast' < *amu meri (nawa) 'tongue' < *me(l,n)e ira 'tree' < *inda
Kanasi language: asi 'ear' < *kand(e,i)k(V] etepa 'bark' < *(ŋg,k)a(nd,t)apu 'skin' obosa 'wind' < *kumbutu oman 'stone' < *ka(m,mb)u[CV] nene 'bird' < *n(e)i
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