Kainantu–Goroka languages

Kainantu–Goroka
East Highlands
Geographic distribution:	highlands of Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification:	Trans–New Guinea Kainantu–Goroka
Subdivisions:	Goroka Kainantu
Ethnologue code:	17-2208
Map: The Kainantu–Goroka languages of New Guinea   The Kainantu–Goroka languages   Other Trans–New Guinea languages   Other Papuan languages   Austronesian languages   Uninhabited

The Kainantu–Goroka are a family of Papuan languages established by Arthur Capell in 1948 under the name East Highlands languages. They formed the core of Stephen Wurm's 1960 East New Guinea Highlands family (the precursor of Trans–New Guinea), and are one of the larger branches of Trans–New Guinea in the 2005 classification of Malcolm Ross. The constituent Kainantu and Goroka families are clearly valid groups, and William Foley considers their TNG identity to be established.

• Goroka family
  • Isabi language
  • Gende language
  • Gahuku branch: Dano (Upper Asaro), Alekano (Gahuku), Tokano (Lower Asaro)
  • Siane branch: Siane, Yaweyuha
  • South Goroka linkage
    • Benabena language
    • Fore branch: Fore, Gimi
    • Kamono–Yagaria branch: Kamono, Kanite, Ke’yagana, Yagaria, Inoke-Yate
• Kainantu family
  • ?Kenati
  • Binumarien
  • Tairoa
  • Waffa
  • Gauwa branch: Agarabi, Awiyaana, Awa, Gadsup, Usarufa, Kosena, Ontenu

The poorly attested Kenati language may belong in Kainantu; Ethnologue 16 also includes Owenia and Kambaira, specifying them as distinct branches of Kainantu.

See also

• East New Guinea Highlands languages, an expansion of Kainantu–Goroka in Wurm 1975 which was abandoned by Ross due to a lack of unifying morphological data.

References

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