Neha Patil (Editor)

Bornean languages

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Geographic distribution:
  
Borneo

Bornean languages

Linguistic classification:
  
Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Bornean

Subdivisions:
  
North Bornean Land Dayak Kayan Barito (4 families)

Glottolog:
  
None nort2892  (North Bornean) grea1283  (Barito) kaya1333  (Kayanic) land1261  (Land Dayak)

The Bornean languages are a geographic group of Austronesian language families indigenous to the islands of Borneo and Madagascar, with the exclusion of Ibanic (Malayic Dayak) and other Malayic languages. There is little reason to think they form a genealogical clade.

Contents

Languages

The Bornean languages form a number of distinct branches of the Austronesian family.

North Bornean

North Bornean is a 1991/2010 proposal by Robert Blust that the Northeast Sabahan, Southwest Sabahan, North Sarawakan, and Melanau–Kajang families form an exclusive unit.

  • Northeast Sabahan (Banggi, Ida’an)
  • North Sarawakan
  • Melanau–Kajang (incl. Rejang–Sajau)
  • Southwest Sabahan
  • Kayan

    The Kayan languages were specifically excluded from the North Borneo family by Robert Blust (1991).

  • Kayan–Murik
  • Land Dayak

    Land Dayak are the majority of the Dayak languages excluding Ibanic.

  • Land Dayak
  • Barito

    The Barito languages have common features due to extended contact. They fall into four families:

  • East Barito (including Malagasy)
  • West Barito
  • Mahakam
  • Sama–Bajaw (per Blust 2006)
  • Proposed substratum

    According to Roger Blench (2010), Austroasiatic languages were once spoken in Borneo. Blench cites Austroasiatic-origin vocabulary words in modern-day Bornean branches such as Land Dayak (Bidayuh, Dayak Bakatiq, etc.), Dusunic (Central Dusun, Visayan, etc.), Kayan, and Kenyah, noting especially resemblances with the Aslian languages of peninsular Malaysia. As further evidence for his proposal, Blench also cites ethnographic evidence such as musical instruments in Borneo shared in common with Austroasiatic-speaking groups in mainland Southeast Asia.

    Blench (2010) claims that lexical forms shared among Bornean and Austroasiatic languages include 'rain', 'to die', 'back (of body)', 'flying lemur', 'monkey', 'barking deer', 'lizard', and 'taro'.

    References

    Bornean languages Wikipedia