South Halmahera-West New Guinea languages
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| South Halmahera-West New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
The Moluccas and the Pacific |
| Genetic classification: |
Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian (MP) Nuclear MP Central-Eastern MP Eastern MP South Halmahera-West New Guinea |
| Subdivisions: |
South Halmahera
West New Guinea
|
The South Halmahera–West New Guinea (SHWNG) languages are the branch Austronesian languages most closely related to Oceanic. The are found along the southeast coast of the island of Halmahera in the Indonesian province of North Maluku, in the province of West Irian Jaya (offshore and in the "neck" of the Vogelkop peninsula), and in Cenderawasih Bay in the province of Papua.
Most of the languages are only known from short word lists, but Buli on Halmahera, and Biak and Waropen in Cenderawasih Bay, are fairly well attested.
[edit] Classification
- South Halmahera languages (Halmahera and West Irian Jaya). Includes Buli.
- West Papuan (Cenderawasih) languages (Cenderawasih Bay and West Irian Jaya). Includes Biak.
Given their proximity (adjacent to Waropen), if the Lower Mamberamo languages prove to be Austronesian, they could well belong to the South Halmahera–West New Guinea branch.
