Mel languages

Mel
Southern (West) Atlantic [reduced]
Geographic
distribution		Guinea-Bissau through Liberia
Linguistic classificationNiger–Congo?
Subdivisions
  • Temne
  • Bullom–Kissi
Language codes
Glottologmela1257

The Mel languages are a branch of Niger–Congo languages spoken in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The most populous is Temne, with about two million speakers; Kissi is next, with half a million.

Languages

Mel has traditionally been classified as the bulk of a southern branch of a West Atlantic branch of Niger–Congo. However, these are geographic and typological rather than genealogical groups; Segerer (2010) shows that there is no exclusive relationship between Mel and the other southern languages, Sua (Mansoanka) and Gola.[1]

Fields (2004) splits Mel into a Highlands group originating in Guinea, and also a Bullom-Kisi-Gola group.[2]

Fields (2008:83) proposes that the homeland of Proto-Mel is located in the north-central highlands of Sierra Leone just to the south of the Lesser Scarcies River, rather than on the coast. The homeland of Proto-Highlands is located along the middle stretches of the Konkoure River in Guinea, just to the northeast of Conakry (Fields 2008:85).[3]

Comparative vocabulary

Comparison of basic vocabulary words in the Mel languages from Fields (2004):[2]

Language eye ear nose tooth tongue mouth blood bone tree water eat name
Sitemu dɔ-fɔr lʊŋʊs a-lolYm de-sek te-mera ku-su me-tyir kʊ-bɛnt kʊ-tɔk dɔ-mun ki-di te-we / me-we
Landuma da-fɔr a-lʊnʊs, a-rʊns ta-soth, ta-suth da-sek da-mera kʊ-suŋ ma-tsir, ma-cir kʊ-bʊnt ke-tog, kʊ-tɔɔk da-mun, m-anc ki-di tayif
Temne for a-lʊns, a-lʊs a-suth, a-sot sek ra-mer saŋ tsir bant, kʊ-bonth n-anʈ m-ant di; som bonʈ; n-es
Bullom foll nui min ɛ-chang mulliŋ, li–mɛliŋ ɲɛn nkong pah rum men dyo ilillɛ
Kisi hɔlten nileŋ miŋndo ciŋnde diɔ-muleŋ sondoo koowaŋ paa yɔmndo mɛŋndaŋ dio diolaŋ
Gola e-fe nu e-mia sia me-miel, o-mie, meer-o o-na, ɲa sa, ma-sei, ma-sen ke-kpa ke-kul, kulu mai, mande, mandi dze, dzɛ e-del


Comparison of basic vocabulary words in the Mel languages, and also Sua and Gola, from Wilson (2007):[4] Limba has also been added from Clarke (1922).[5]

Language eye ear nose tooth tongue mouth blood bone tree water name; surname
Baga Maduri da-fɔr / i- / sə- a-läŋgäs / i- ta-sot / ma- da-sek / i- da-mer / sə- ku-suŋ / cu- koonɛ ke-bant kə-tɔɔk / i- ba-mun ta-we / ma-; lambe (d-)
Baga Sitemu dɔ-fɔr / Ø- / sə- a-laŋəs / sə- / Ø- a-loləm / Ø- de-sek / Ø- te-mer / me- ku-su / cu- mɛ-tsir ko-tɔk / tsə- da-mun
Baga Koba da-fɔr / ɛ- a-rəns / ɛ- ta-sot / ma- da-sek / ɛ- da-mɛr ku-soŋ / tsə- ma-tsir ke-bant / tsə- kə-tɔk na-mun kə-teŋk
Landuma da-fɔr / ɛ- / sə- a-ləŋəs / yɛ- ta-soot / ma da-sek / ɛ- da-mera / sə- kə-suŋ / cə- ma-cir kə-tɔɔʐ / yɛ- da-mun; m-ancs ta-yif / ma-
Temne rə-fɔr / ɛ- ä-ləns / ɛ- ä-sot̪ / mə- rə-sek / ɛ- rə-mer kə-səŋ / tə- mə-tir kə-bänt̪ ŋ-ənt / y-; ä-tɔk 'firewood' m-änt ŋ-es / m-
Sherbro hɔ́l / ti- nṵ́ɪ́ / ti- mín / si- caŋ / n- (li)màlíŋ / ti- sùm ŋkɔ̀ŋ pak tɔ̀k mɛ́n (i)líl / n-, si-
Mmani fɔl / thifɔl nyu / thinyu min / thimin caŋ /ncaŋ di-miliŋ / mamiliŋ eñɛn / nñɛn kòó-wáŋ pak / thipak yɔ̀m-ndó m̄ɛn i–lɛlu / n-lɛlu
Kisi hɔ̀l-téŋ nì-léŋ mǐŋ-ndó cìŋ-ndé dìɔ̀mù-léŋ sòndò-ó nkong pàà- o-thɔk mɛ̀ŋ-ndáŋ dìò-
Sua (n)-fɔn / i- n-nihi (r)-seeny / m- (r)-wɛy / m- (n)-dɛmɛtɛ / i- k-tumbu / i- m-siin ŋ-wuh (ŋ)-taany / i- m-miny n-wey / i-; n-konto / i-
Gola éfè kénû é-mḭa késia̰ ómiè, kémiè, kémièl óńá̰ másḛ̀i, másɛ̀n kégòa, kégwà kekuu, kekul mamal, mamæ edel
Limba foya, hoya ha;
pl. taya ta		 kuluha ko;
pl. ŋaliha ŋa		 hutini ha;
pl. ta ta		 hutiti ha;
pl. ta ta		 filiŋ ha;
pl. tafiliŋ ta		 foti ha;
pl. ta ta		 marēŋ ma, masini ma kutoli ko;
pl. ŋa ŋa, ba ba		 kuieŋ ko;
pl. ŋa ŋa		 mandi ma kēn ko;
pl. ŋakēn ŋa

See also

References

  1. ^ Guillaume Segerer & Florian Lionnet 2010. "'Isolates' in 'Atlantic'". Language Isolates in Africa workshop, Lyon, Dec. 4.
  2. ^ a b Fields, Edda L. Before "Baga": Settlement Chronologies of the Coastal Rio Nunez Region, Earliest Times to c.1000 CE. In: The International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 37, No. 2 (2004), pp. 229–253. Boston University African Studies Center.
  3. ^ Fields-Black, Edda L. 2008. Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora. (Blacks in the Diaspora.) Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
  4. ^ Wilson, William André Auquier. 2007. Guinea Languages of the Atlantic group: description and internal classification. (Schriften zur Afrikanistik, 12.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
  5. ^ Clarke, Mary Lane. 1922 [1971]. A Limba-English Dictionary or Tampeṅ Ta Ka Taluṅ Ta Ka Hulimba Ha In Huiṅkilisi Ha. Westmead, Farnborough: Gregg International Publishers Limited. (1971 reprint of 1922 book published by Houghton.)