[PDF][PDF] The Batanic languages in relation to the early history of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of Austronesian

M Ross - Journal of Austronesian Studies, 2005 - researchgate.net
M Ross
Journal of Austronesian Studies, 2005researchgate.net
The Batanic languages are a group of closely related Austronesian languages spoken on
the small islands scattered between Taiwan and Luzon. The purpose of this paper is to
present what is known of their relationships to other Austronesian groups, the Formosan
languages to the north and the Malayo-Polynesian languages to the south. It is shown that
the Batanic languages are Malayo-Polynesian, but do not subgroup with any other smaller
group of languages within the huge Malayo-Polynesian language group. In view of this, it is …
Abstract
The Batanic languages are a group of closely related Austronesian languages spoken on the small islands scattered between Taiwan and Luzon. The purpose of this paper is to present what is known of their relationships to other Austronesian groups, the Formosan languages to the north and the Malayo-Polynesian languages to the south. It is shown that the Batanic languages are Malayo-Polynesian, but do not subgroup with any other smaller group of languages within the huge Malayo-Polynesian language group. In view of this, it is possible that the Batanic languages are descended from the speech of a community established in the islands by speakers of Proto Malayo-Polynesian before they reached Luzon. This possibility is supported by the conservatism of the Batanic languages, but remains just that—a possibility, not a certainty.
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