Northwest Solomonic
Geographic
distribution		Solomon Islands
Linguistic classificationAustronesian
Proto-languageProto-Northwest Solomonic
Glottolognort3225

The family of Northwest Solomonic languages is a branch of the Oceanic languages. It includes the Austronesian languages of Bougainville and Buka in Papua New Guinea, and of Choiseul, New Georgia, and Santa Isabel (excluding Bugotu) in Solomon Islands.

The unity of Northwest Solomonic and the number and composition of its subgroups, along with its relationship to other Oceanic groups, was established in pioneering work by Malcolm Ross.[1]

Languages

Languages of Santa Isabel

Northwest Solomonic languages group as follows:[2]

In addition, the extinct Kazukuru language was probably one of the New Georgia languages. The unclassified extinct language Tetepare might have also been one of the New Georgia languages, if it was Austronesian at all.

Basic vocabulary

Basic vocabulary in many Northwest Solomonic languages is aberrant, and many forms do not have Proto-Oceanic cognates.[4] Below, Ririo, Zabana, and Maringe are compared with two Southeast Solomonic languages. Aberrant forms are in bold.

Englisharmearliverboneskinlouse
Proto-Oceanic*lima*taliŋa*qate*suRi*kulit*kutu
Ririokarisiŋgeltutuenpundakapatutu
Zabanakametaliŋakolahumakafugutu
Maringelimakhulikhebuknubragulitheli
Gelalimakuliatehuligui-guligutu
Arosirimakariŋarogosu-suriʔuri-ʔurikote

Notes

  1. ↑ See Ross (1988).
  2. ↑ Lynch, John; Malcolm Ross; Terry Crowley (2002). The Oceanic languages. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon. ISBN 978-0-7007-1128-4. OCLC 48929366.
  3. ↑ distinct language per Bill Palmer
  4. ↑ Pawley, Andrew. Explaining the Aberrant Austronesian Languages of Southeast Melanesia: 150 Years of Debate. Journal of the Polynesian Society, The, Vol. 115, No. 3, Sept 2006: 215-258.

References

  • Ross, Malcolm D. (1988). Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian languages of Western Melanesia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Further reading

  • Bill Palmer (2005). North West Solomonic materials. University of Surrey, UK.
  • Bill Palmer (2010). . University of Newcastle, Australia.
  • Tryon, Darrell T. & B. D. Hackman. 1983. Solomon Islands Languages: An Internal Classification. (Pacific Linguistics: Series C, 72.) Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University
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