Meso-Melanesian languages

The Meso Melanesian languages are a moderately supported group of Oceanic languages spoken in the large Melanesian islands of New Ireland and the Solomon Islands east of New Guinea.

Composition

A 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database^[1] supported the unity of Meso-Melanesian, including Southeast Solomonic, at an 82% confidence level. In addition, it supported core Meso-Melanesian, excluding Southeast Solomonic and Vitu–Bali, at an 84% confidence level. The traditional group of New Ireland languages, however, was broken up, into Northwest Solomonic and New Ireland proper.

• Southeast Solomonic (languages of Guadalcanal, Gela, Malaita, Makira, and south Isabel in the Solomon Islands)
• Bali–Vitu languages
• Core Meso-Melanesian
  • St Matthias
  • Northwest Solomonic (languages of Choiseul, New Georgia, and Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands)
  • Nehan–Bougainville (Austronesian languages of Bougainville)
  • New Ireland languages (reduced; languages of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea)

There is moderate support for some subgrouping, with broad Meso-Melanesian, core Meso-Melanesian, and Bougainville – Northwest Solomonic each supported at about an 80% confidence level:

The Bilur language, which is not closely related to other Melanesian languages, likely falls somewhere in the Bougainville–Northwest Solomonic group.

References