Kazukuru language
Encyclopedia
Kazukuru is an extinct language that was once spoken in New Georgia
, Solomon Islands
. The Dororo
and Guliguli
languages (also extinct) are supposedly its only known relations. The speakers of Kazukuru gradually merged with the Roviana
people from the sixteenth century onward, and adopted Roviana as their language. Kazukuru was last recorded in the early twentieth century when its speakers were in the last stages of language shift. Today Kazukuru is the name of a clan in the Roviana people group.
Most of what is known about Kazukuru was collected by W.H.L. Waterhouse and published with S.H. Ray in an article in 1931. Some additional Kazukuru data and the only information on Dororo and Guliguli (two short wordlists) were published by Peter Lanyon-Orgill in 1953. Arthur Capell
suggested that Kazukuru was a non-Austronesian (Papuan
) language, and Stephen Wurm
accordingly placed all three languages in a 'Kazukuru family' within the East Papuan
phylum.
In a recent article, Michael Dunn and Malcolm Ross
(2007) argue that the structure, phonology and lexicon of Kazukuru are strikingly similar to other Oceanic languages, and that Kazukuru was almost certainly an Oceanic language, related to other New Georgia languages such as Roviana
, Hoava
and Ghanongga
. The alleged Dororo and Guliguli wordlists are so similar to the recorded Kazukuru wordlist that they are almost certainly different transcriptions of the same language.
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The Dororo
Dororo language
Dororo or Doriri is an extinct language that was once spoken in New Georgia . Dororo might have been a dialect of the extinct Kazukuro language....
and Guliguli
Guliguli language
Guliguli is an extinct language that was allegedly once spoken on the western slopes of Mt Vinaroni, New Georgia, Solomon Islands. The linguist Karen Davis is skeptical that Guliguli ever existed, since the word guliguli has an obscene meaning in the neighboring Hoava language, and there is no...
languages (also extinct) are supposedly its only known relations. The speakers of Kazukuru gradually merged with the Roviana
Roviana language
Roviana is a member of the North West Solomonic subgroup of Oceanic languages. It is spoken around Roviana and Vonavona lagoons at the north central New Georgia in the Solomon Islands...
people from the sixteenth century onward, and adopted Roviana as their language. Kazukuru was last recorded in the early twentieth century when its speakers were in the last stages of language shift. Today Kazukuru is the name of a clan in the Roviana people group.
Most of what is known about Kazukuru was collected by W.H.L. Waterhouse and published with S.H. Ray in an article in 1931. Some additional Kazukuru data and the only information on Dororo and Guliguli (two short wordlists) were published by Peter Lanyon-Orgill in 1953. Arthur Capell
Arthur Capell
Arthur Capell was an Australian linguist, who made major contributions to the study of Australian languages, Austronesian languages and Papuan languages.-Life:...
suggested that Kazukuru was a non-Austronesian (Papuan
Papuan languages
The Papuan languages are those languages of the western Pacific which are neither Austronesian nor Australian. The term does not presuppose a genetic relationship. The concept of Papuan peoples as distinct from Melanesians was first suggested and named by Sidney Herbert Ray in 1892.-The...
) language, and Stephen Wurm
Stephen Wurm
Stephen Adolphe Wurm was a Hungarian-born Australian linguist.- Biography :Wurm was born in Budapest, the second child to the German-speaking Adolphe Wurm and Hungarian-speaking Anna Novroczky, and was christened Istvan Adolphe Wurm...
accordingly placed all three languages in a 'Kazukuru family' within the East Papuan
East Papuan languages
*Baining family*North Bougainville family — Bougainville*South Bougainville family — Bougainville*Central Solomon family...
phylum.
In a recent article, Michael Dunn and Malcolm Ross
Malcolm Ross
Malcolm David Ross is a linguist and professor at the Australian National University. He has published work on Austronesian and Papuan languages, historical linguistics, and language contact.-External links:**...
(2007) argue that the structure, phonology and lexicon of Kazukuru are strikingly similar to other Oceanic languages, and that Kazukuru was almost certainly an Oceanic language, related to other New Georgia languages such as Roviana
Roviana language
Roviana is a member of the North West Solomonic subgroup of Oceanic languages. It is spoken around Roviana and Vonavona lagoons at the north central New Georgia in the Solomon Islands...
, Hoava
Hoava language
Hoava is an Oceanic language spoken by about 1000-1500 people on New Georgia Island, Solomon Islands. Speakers of Hoava are multilingual and usually also speak Roviana, Marovo, SI Pijin, English.-References:...
and Ghanongga
Ghanongga language
Ghanongga is an Oceanic language spoken by about 2,500 people on Ranongga Island, Solomon Islands....
. The alleged Dororo and Guliguli wordlists are so similar to the recorded Kazukuru wordlist that they are almost certainly different transcriptions of the same language.