Notes l |
This geosector covers 223 sets of languages (1167 outer languages, composed of 2258 inner languages) spoken or formerly spoken by communities in Australasia in a geographic sequence from Maluku and the Lesser Sunda islands through New Guinea and its adjacent islands, and throughout the Australian mainland to Tasmania. They comprise all languages ofAustralasia (Oceania) not covered by phylosectors 3=Austronesian or 5=Indo-European.Zones 20= to 24= cover all so-called "Papuan" languages, spoken on Maluku and the Lesser Sunda islands and the NewGuinea mainland, which have been previously treated within the "Trans-New Guinea" hypothesis: 20= ARAFURA geozone 21= MAMBERAMO geozone 22= MANDANGIC phylozone 23= OWALAMIC phylozone 24= TRANSIRIANIC phylozoneZones 25= to 27= cover all other so-called "Papuan" languages, on the New Guinea mainland, Bismarck archipelago, NewBritain, New Ireland and Solomon islands, which have not been treated within the "Trans-New Guinea" hypothesis: 25= CENDRAWASIH geozone 26= SEPIK-VALLEY geozone 27= BISMARCK-SEA geozoneZones 28= to 29= cover all languages spoken traditionally across the Australian mainland, on the offshore Elcho, Howard,Crocodile and Torres Strait islands (excluding Darnley island), and formerly on the island of Tasmania. An "Australian" hypothesis covers all these languages, excluding the extinct and little known languages of Tasmania, comprising (1.) an areaof more diffuse and complex relationships in the extreme north, covered here by geozone 28=, and (2.) a more closelyrelated affinity (Pama+ Nyungan) throughout the rest of Australia, covered by 24 of the 25 sets of phylozone 29=. Therelationships within the "Australian" and component "Pama+ Nyungan" hypotheses may be due as much to diffusion overtens of thousands of years as to inheritance from common prehistorical sources: 28= NORTH-AUSTRALIA geozone 29= TRANSAUSTRALIA geozone |