Nalca
Trans-New Guinea
Nalca is a Trans-New Guinea Mek-family language of the central Highlands of Papua, Indonesia, spoken by ~10,000 people in the Yahukimo Regency. The Mek family (Eipo, Yale, Una, Nalca, Mek, etc. — ~12 languages, ~50,000 total speakers) is one of the smaller Trans-New Guinea subgroups, occupying the Star Mountains and the western Eastern Highlands. Linguistically, Nalca shares Mek-family features with classical Trans-New Guinea typology: SOV constituent order, postpositions, complex verb morphology with hierarchical agreement, and noun classifiers. SIL Bible translation work since the 1990s has produced literacy materials in Nalca; the Mek-family Eipo Bible (1992) was a notable Mek-family Bible translation project.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Nalca
Water
mi
/mi/
Fire
lakil
/lakil/
Sun
nyem
/ɲem/
Moon
lakum
/lakum/
Mother
ne
/ne/
Father
ke
/ke/
Eat
ne
/ne/
Drink
mi ne
/mi ne/
Love
ngam
/ŋam/
Heart
ngal
/ŋal/
Tree
ye
/je/
House
kim
/kim/
Dog
ngal
/ŋal/
Cat
kucing
/kutʃiŋ/
Hand
ku
/ku/
Eye
nye
/ɲe/
Hello
silok
/silok/
Thank you
amole
/amole/
One
mom
/mom/
Good
ko
/ko/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Trans-New Guinea languages
| Meaning | Nalca | Mian | Gayo | Kanite | Faiwol | Mapos Buang | Dan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | mi /mi/ | ot /ot/ | weih /weih/ | nai /nai/ | ok /ok/ | vuur /vuːr/ | yi /ji/ |
| Fire | lakil /lakil/ | aon /aon/ | rara /ɾaɾa/ | lo /lo/ | baal /baːl/ | ehe /ehe/ | siŋ /siŋ/ |
| Sun | nyem /ɲem/ | kep /kep/ | matacana /matatʃana/ | suka /suka/ | kibel /kibel/ | gum /ɡum/ | lai /lai/ |
| Moon | lakum /lakum/ | ham /ham/ | lao /lao/ | ika /ika/ | ulup /ulup/ | mha /mha/ | siŋ /siŋ/ |
| Mother | ne /ne/ | na /na/ | ine /ine/ | nene /nene/ | anim /anim/ | ne /ne/ | da /da/ |
| Father | ke /ke/ | ki /ki/ | ama /ama/ | nafa /nafa/ | atim /atim/ | ma /ma/ | de /de/ |
| Eat | ne /ne/ | naka /naka/ | mangan /maŋan/ | ne /ne/ | nemin /nemin/ | gen /ɡen/ | dɛ /dɛ/ |
| Drink | mi ne /mi ne/ | an /an/ | minum /minum/ | ne /ne/ | ok ne /ok ne/ | nung /nuŋ/ | mi /mi/ |
| Love | ngam /ŋam/ | na /na/ | kunyung /kuɲuŋ/ | avesi /avesi/ | kunum /kunum/ | vong /voŋ/ | be /be/ |
| Heart | ngal /ŋal/ | tem /tem/ | ate /ate/ | agu /aɡu/ | kayem /kajem/ | minga /miŋa/ | gbɔɔ /ɡbɔː/ |
| Tree | ye /je/ | yel /jel/ | kayu /kaju/ | yafa /jafa/ | biin /biːn/ | leng /leŋ/ | gbe /ɡbe/ |
| House | kim /kim/ | am /am/ | umah /umah/ | no /no/ | am /am/ | ya /ja/ | kɔ /kɔ/ |
| Dog | ngal /ŋal/ | kowok /kowok/ | asu /asu/ | ovava /ovava/ | kuyak /kujak/ | nyam /ɲam/ | gbɛ /ɡbɛ/ |
| Cat | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | pus /pus/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | pusi /pusi/ | kit /kit/ | pus /pus/ | nyaa /ɲaː/ |
| Hand | ku /ku/ | kun /kun/ | pumu /pumu/ | azana /azana/ | miim /miːm/ | mok /mok/ | kɔ /kɔ/ |
| Eye | nye /ɲe/ | tan /tan/ | mata /mata/ | avu /avu/ | nin /nin/ | mata /mata/ | ŋkɛ̃ /ŋkɛ̃/ |
| Hello | silok /silok/ | aben /aben/ | salam /salam/ | naipa /naipa/ | ben kaba /ben kaba/ | miig /miːɡ/ | daka /daka/ |
| Thank you | amole /amole/ | hok /hok/ | matur sangat /matuɾ saŋat/ | susu /susu/ | ngam ngam /ŋam ŋam/ | vog ehog /voɡ ehoɡ/ | kpe /kpe/ |
| One | mom /mom/ | alok /alok/ | sara /saɾa/ | magoke /maɡoke/ | kowin /kowin/ | lon /lon/ | do /do/ |
| Good | ko /ko/ | kep /kep/ | jeroh /dʒeɾoh/ | knaga /knaɡa/ | kanim /kanim/ | vovo /vovo/ | ka /ka/ |
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