Markham languages

Markham languages
Geographic distribution:	Madang and Morobe Provinces, Papua New Guinea
Linguistic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Western Oceanic North New Guinea ? Ngero–Vitiaz ? Huon Gulf Markham languages
Subdivisions:	Lower Markham Upper Markham Watut

The family of Markham languages is a subgroup of the Huon Gulf languages. It consists of 13 languages spoken in the Ramu Valley, Markham Valley and associated valley systems in the lowlands of the Madang and Morobe Provinces of Papua New Guinea.^[1]

Shared features

The most definitive work on the Markham languages is The Markham Languages of Papua New Guinea by Susanne Holzknecht, which established a common descent from Proto Huon Gulf. It did so on the basis of shared phonological, morphosyntactic and lexicosemantic innovations.

Although the Markham languages are Austronesian, they have had much contact with neighbouring Papuan languages.

References

1. ^ Susanne Holzknecht (1989). The Markham Languages of Papua New Guinea. Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 0-85883-394-8.