Borneo as a Cross-Roads for Comparative Austronesian Linguistics

Abstract

The autochthonous languages of Borneo have been divided into ten separate subgroups (Hudson 1978). This paper discusses four subgroups on which the author has done research. The Southeast Barito subgroup includes Malagasy. This language underwent considerable influence from Malay and Javanese. Malay influence appears to have lasted until after the introduction of Islam in Southeast Asia, and there are also some indications that the Arabic script was introduced to Madagascar by Indonesians (possibly Javanese). The author puts forth the hypothesis that the Malagasy, rather than having sailed to Madagascar of their own accord, may have been transported there (as subordinates) by Malays. The Malayic subgroup includes Iban and Malay. The diversity and relative archaism of the Malayic languages spoken in West Borneo suggest that the Malayic homeland may have been in this area. The Tamanic languages are phonologically, morphosyntactically and lexically close enough to the South Sulawesi languages to form a subgroup with them. They have some striking phonological developments in common with Buginese, with which they seem to form a separate branch within the South Sulawesi language group. The Land Dayak languages have a few striking lexical and phonological similarities in common with Aslian languages. This suggests that Land Dayak originated as the result of a language shift from Aslian to Austronesian, or that both Land Dayak and Aslian have in common a substratum from an unknown third language.

Farming and Language in Island Southeast Asia

“…4, 5); further, grammatical interrelationships between Austronesian language groups follow geographical rather than phylogenetic-subgroup boundaries (Donohue 2007b). A remarkable diversity characterizes the Malayo-Polynesian languages at all levels of their grammar, including phonology, morphology, and syntax; this diversity almost certainly reflects early contacts with pre-Austronesian languages (Adelaar 1995;Capell 1975;Donohue 2004Donohue , 2005Donohue , 2007b. These contacts show their strongest effects south of the Philippines.…”

Mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome suggest the settlement of Madagascar by Indonesian sea nomad populations

“…Although the exact nature and route of this movement is largely unknown, linguistic and anthropological evidence indicates strong Indonesian influences, as recorded in the vocabulary and socio-cultural life of Malagasy, the modern people of Madagascar [ 6 - 9 ]. Linguistic research suggests that the Malagasy language is derived from Southeast Barito (SEB), a subgroup of Austronesian languages, and is most closely related to the language spoken by the land-locked forest-dweller Ma’anyan in central and southeastern Kalimantan (Borneo) [ 6 , 10 - 13 ], one indigenous language among 73 others spoken in Borneo [ 14 ]. However, there is evidence of word borrowings from a small number of Austronesian languages spoken on other Indonesian islands as well [ 15 , 16 ].…”

African origin for Madagascan dogs revealed by mtDNA analysis

“…Starting from Taiwan approximately 5000 YBP and aided by improvements in boat technology, Austronesian languages spread across more than half the globe, to Madagascar in the west and Easter Island in the east, in one of the most extensive geographical expansions of a human population in history [ 4 ]. Linguistic evidence suggests that the migration to Madagascar took place in early seventh century AD [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]. The modern Malagasy language shares most of its basic vocabulary (approx.…”