West Papuan Highlands languages

The West Papuan Highland languages, also known as the Irian Highland languages, are a branch of the Trans–New Guinea language family proposed by Larson & Larson (1972) and confirmed by Timothy Usher. William A. Foley considers their Trans–New Guinea identity to be established.


 * Dani (Balim Valley) family
 * Paniai Lakes (Wissel Lakes) family
 * Amung–Dem
 * Uhunduni (Amung, Damal)
 * Dem

History
Capell linked the Dani languages to Kwerba in 1962, a position followed by Wurm, who included Dani-Kwerba and the Wissel Lakes (Paniai Lakes) languages as branches of Trans–New Guinea. Larson & Larson (1972) proposed that the Dani and Paniai Lakes families, along with the Amung and Dem isolates, grouped together within TNG. Ross (2005) suggests a possible link between Dani and Paniai with his West TNG proposal. Usher confirms Larson & Larson and finds that the Amung and Dem languages are closest to each other.

Lexical comparison
The lexical data below is from the Trans-New Guinea database and Usher (2020). The Bayono-Awbono data is from Wilbrink (2004). Neighboring languages not traditionally classified within West Papuan Highlands are also included for comparison.