Bornean
Geographic distribution:	Borneo
Genetic classification:	Austronesian  Malayo-Polynesian   Indo-Melanesian    Bornean
Subdivisions:	Sabahan North Sarawakan Barito Land Dayak (not a unit) ? Rejang-Sajau

The Bornean languages are the Austronesian language families indigenous to the island of Borneo, with the exclusion of Ibanic (Malayic Dayak) and other Malayic languages.

A 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database found marginal support (at a 65% confidence level) that these languages are related as an exclusive unit. There was in addition 55% support for the unity of a core group, excluding the Sabahan languages, that is called "Greater Barito":

Barito (65%)

• Sabahan (at least Murutic and Ida’an)
• Greater Barito (55%)
  • Land Dayak I (includes Bekatiq)
  • Land Dayak II (includes Jagoi)
  • Barito
  • North Sarawakan (includes Kayan)

The Rejang-Sajau languages are presumably Bornean, but were not addressed by the 2008 study.

[edit] North Bornean

North Bornean is a 1991 proposal by Robert Blust that the Sabahan and North Sarawakan families (minus Kayan) form an exclusive unit called North Bornean. The Bornean languages, which do not form a unit in this proposal, thus consist of North Bornean, Kayan, Land Dayak, and the three Barito families.

North Bornean is not supported by the 2008 analysis.

[edit] See also

• Dayak languages
• Malagasy

[edit] References

• Fay Wouk and Malcolm Ross (ed.), The history and typology of western Austronesian voice systems. Australian National University, 2002.
• K. Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelmann, The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar. Routledge, 2005.
• Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database

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