Sunda-Sulawesi languages

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Sunda-Sulawesi
Geographic distribution:	Indonesia and Micronesia
Genetic classification:	Austronesian  Malayo-Polynesian (MP)   Nuclear MP    Sunda-Sulawesi
Subdivisions:	17 branches (provisional)

The Sunda-Sulawesi languages (or Inner Hesperonesian or Inner Western Malayo-Polynesian languages) are a branch of the Austronesian family which include the languages of Sulawesi and the Greater Sunda Islands, as well as a few outliers such as Chamorro and Palauan, as outlined in Wouk and Ross (2002).

In this classification the previous clade of Western Malayo-Polynesian (WMP), or Hesperonesian, has been broken up into "inner" (Sunda-Sulawesi) and "outer" (Borneo-Philippines) clades, and Western Malayo-Polynesian is considered merely a geographic term.

[edit] Classification

There are a number of small, closely related clusters of languages in the Sunda-Sulawesi family whose interrelationship remains uncertain.

The twenty languages of northern Sulawesi and islands to the north (the Sangiric languages such as Bantik, Minahasan languages, and Mongondow-Gorontalo languages) are not part of the Sunda-Sulawesi branch of Austronesian (Inner Hesperonesian), but rather part of the Borneo-Philippines branch (Outer Hesperonesian).

(Central and southern Sulawesi)

• Tomini-Tolitoli languages (8 languages of northern Central Sulawesi province; includes Totoli)
• Saluan-Banggai languages (4 languages of eastern Central Sulawesi)
• Kaili-Pamona languages (8 languages of central Central Sulawesi)
• South Sulawesi (9 languages of South Sulawesi; includes Buginese, Makassarese, and the former isolate Mbaloh)
• Bungku-Tolaki languages (4 languages of South East Sulawesi)
• Wotu-Wolio languages (3 languages)
• Muna-Buton (6 languages offshore from South East Sulawesi, such as Tukang Besi)

(Greater Sunda Islands, listed from west to east)

• Gayo language (north Sumatra)
• Sumatran languages (10 languages of north-central Sumatra; includes Nias, Mentawai, and 5 Batak languages)
• Malayic languages (25 languages dispersed from central Sumatra, including Malay (Malaysian/Indonesian), Minangkabau in central Sumatra, Acehnese in Aceh, Cham in Vietnam, Moken in Thailand and Burma, and Iban of northern Borneo)
• Lampungic languages (2 languages of Lampung in southern Sumatra)
• Sundanese (western Java)
• Javanese (central Java)
• Madurese (eastern Java and Madura)
• Bali-Sasak languages (3 languages: Balinese on Bali, Sasak on Lombok, and Sumbawa on western Sumbawa)

(Pacific islands)

• Palauan (Palau)
• Chamorro (Mariana Islands, including Guam)

[edit] References

• Fay Wouk and Malcolm Ross (ed.), The history and typology of western Austronesian voice systems. Australian National University, 2002.