West Makian language
Encyclopedia
West Makian is the most divergent of the Papuan languages
of Halmahera
. It is spoken on the coast near Makian Island, and on the western half of that island. It has been strongly influenced by an Austronesian language or languages, and was once classified as Austronesian, as the East Makian language (Taba) still is.
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...
of Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
. It is spoken on the coast near Makian Island, and on the western half of that island. It has been strongly influenced by an Austronesian language or languages, and was once classified as Austronesian, as the East Makian language (Taba) still is.