Chimbu–Wahgi
Simbu – Western Highlands
Geographic distribution	Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification	Trans–New Guinea orPapuan Gulf? Central New Guinea Highlands Chimbu–Wahgi
Subdivisions	Chimbu Hagen Jimi Wahgi
Language codes
Glottolog	cent2120
Map: The Chimbu–Wahgi languages of New Guinea   Chimbu–Wahgi languages   Trans–New Guinea languages   Other Papuan languages   Austronesian languages   Uninhabited

TheChimbu–Wahgi languages are alanguage family of New Guinea. They are sometimes included in theTrans–New Guinea proposal; Usher links them with theEngan languages in aCentral New Guinea Highlands family.^[1]

There is little doubt that the Chimbu–Wahgi family is valid. The languages are:^[2]

Several of the Chimbu–Wahgi languages have uncommonlateral consonants: seeNii,Wahgi, andKuman for examples.

Chimbu–Wahgi languages havecontrastive tone.^[3]

The singular pronouns are:

	sg
1	*ná
2	*nim
3	*[y]é

Dual *-l and plural *-n reflect Trans–New Guinea forms.

Middle Wahgi reflexes ofproto-Trans-New Guinea (pTNG) etyma:^[3]

• ama ‘mother’ < *am(a,i)
• amu ‘breast’ < *amu
• numan ‘louse’ < *niman
• numan ‘thought, mind, will’ < *n(o,u)
• man, muŋ ‘fruit, nut, lump’
• muŋgum ‘kidney’ < *maŋgV ‘round object’
• mundmuŋ ‘heart’ < *mundun-maŋgV
• mokum, mokem ‘knuckle, joint’ < *mo(k,ŋg)Vm ‘joint’
• mundun mo- ‘be pot bellied’ < *mundun ‘internal organs, belly’
• ŋaŋ ‘small male child’ < *ŋaŋ[a] ‘baby’
• apa- ‘maternal uncle’ < *apa ‘father’
• embe(m) ‘name’ < *imbi ‘name’
• muk ‘blue’ < *muk
• tuk- ‘chop’ < *tVk- ‘cut, cut off’
• no- ‘eat’ < *na-
• mek si- ‘to vomit’
• mek ‘vomitus’ < *makV[C] + t(e,i)- ‘to vomit’

• Kaipuleohone archive ofChimbu-Wahgi language recordings

• Chimbu–Wahgi languages
• Languages of Papua New Guinea
• Papuan languages
• Language families
• Northeast New Guinea languages

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata