| Meso-Melanesian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Meso-Melanesian |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | meso1253 |
TheMeso-Melanesian languages are alinkage ofOceanic languages spoken in the large Melanesian islands of New Ireland and theSolomon Islands east of New Guinea.Bali is one of the most conservative languages.
The languages group as follows:[1]
Ethnologue addsGuramalum to the St George linkage.
TheWillaumez Peninsula on the north coast ofNew Britain was evidently the center of dispersal.
Johnston (1982) combines theWillaumez and Bali–Vitu branches into a singleKimbe branch, for which he reconstructs Proto-Kimbe.[2]
Lenition inLamasong,Madak,Barok,Nalik, andKara may have diffused via influence fromKuot, the only non-Austronesian language spoken onNew Ireland (Ross 1994: 566).[3]