Mek languages

The Mek languages are a well established family of Papuan languages spoken by the Mek people and Yali people. They form a branch of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classifications of Stephen Wurm and of Malcolm Ross.
Mek, then called Goliath, was identified by M. Bromley in 1967. It was placed in TNG by Wurm.

Languages

The Mek languages form three dialect chains :

Eastern: Ketengban, Una, Eipomek
Northern: Kosarek Yale–Nipsan, Nalca
Western: Korupun-Sela
Proto-language

Phonemes

Usher reconstructs the consonant and vowel inventories as 'perhaps' as follows:

Pronouns

Pronouns are:
The difference between the two 3pl forms is not known. 2pl and 3pl have parallels in Momuna /kun tun/.

Basic vocabulary

Some lexical reconstructions by Usher are:

Modern reflexes

Mek reflexes of proto-Trans-New Guinea etyma are:
Eipo language:

mun ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’
kuna ‘shadow’ < *knan
saŋ ‘dancing song’ < *saŋ
getane ‘sun’ < *kVtane

Bime language:

mundo ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’

Kosarek language:

ami ‘louse’ < *niman
si ‘tooth’ < *ii
tomo < *ktuma ‘night’

Yale language:

de ‘to burn’ < *nj
mon ‘belly’ < *mundun ‘internal organs’
xau ‘ashes’ < *kambu