Finisterre–Huon languages

The Finisterre–Huon languages comprise the largest family within the Trans–New Guinea languages (TNG) in the classification of Malcolm Ross. They were part of the original TNG proposal, and William A. Foley considers their TNG identity to be established. The languages share verbs which are suppletive depending on the person & number of the object, strong morphological evidence that they are related.

Huon and Finnisterre, and then the connection between them, were identified by Kenneth McElhanon (1967, 1970). When McElhanon compared notes with his colleague Clemens Voorhoeve, who was working on the languages of southern Irian Jaya, they developed the concept of Trans–New Guinea. Apart from the evidence which unites them, the Finisterre and Huon families are clearly valid language families in their own right, each consisting of several fairly-well defined branches. (See Finisterre languages and Huon languages.)

Ross reconstructs the pronouns as follows:

	sg	du	pl
1	*na	*na-t, *ni-t	*na-n, *n-in
2	*ga	*ja-ł, *ji-ł, *gi-ł	*ja-n, *ji-n, *gi-n
3	*[y]a, *wa, *i	*ya-ł, *i-ł	*ya-n, *i-n

These are not all coherent: 3sg *ya and *i are found in Huon, for example, while 3sg *wa is found in Finisterre. In other cases, however, the multiple forms are found in both branches.

Footnotes

References

• Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson. Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782. 

Languages of Papua New Guinea
Official languages	English Hiri Motu Tok Pisin Papua New Guinean Sign Language
Major Indigenous languages	Adzera Amanab Awad Bing Barok Bimin Bola Bugawac Dedua Dobu Kâte Kobon Kovai Kuanua Kuman Kuot Kurti Lihir Mandara Mangseng Mbula Mende Mussau-Emira Mutu Nekgini Ngaing Nobonob Numanggang Nyindrou Pele-Ata Petats Ramoaaina Seimat Solong Somba-Siawari Suau Sulka Tobo Ura Vitu Waris
Other Papuan languages	Angan Akoye Angaataha Ankave Hamtai Kamasa Kawacha Menya Safeyoka Simbari Susuami Tainae Yagwoia Yipma Awin–Pa Awin Pa Binanderean Baruga Binandere Ewage Korafe Orokaiva Suena Yekora Zia Bosavi Aimele Beami Edolo Kaluli Kasua Onobasulu Sonia Chimbu–Wahgi Chuave Dom Golin Kandawo Kaugel Kuman Maring Melpa Narak Nii Nomane Salt-Yui Sinasina Tembagla Wahgi Duna–Pogaya Duna Pogaya East Kutubuan Fasu Fiwaga Foi East Strickland Fembe Gobasi Konai Kubo Odoodee Samo Engan Angal Bisorio Enga Huli Ipili Kewa Kyaka Lembena Samberigi Eleman Kaki Ae Keuru Opao Orokolo Toaripi Tairuma Ok–Oksapmin Bimin Faiwol Mian Ngalum Ninggerum Oksapmin Setaman Suganga Telefol Tifal Urap Yonggom Teberan Dadibi Folopa Tirio Abom Baramu Bitur Tirio Were Turama–Kikorian Ikobi Omati Rumu Larger Families Finisterre–Huon Kainantu–Goroka Madang Ramu–Lower Sepik Sepik Southeast Papuan Torricelli