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Sumba–Flores languages

Sumba–Flores
Bima–Sumba
Geographic
distribution
Lesser Sunda Islands (Indonesia)
Linguistic classification Austronesian
Subdivisions
  • ? Bima
  • Sumba–Manggarai
Glottolog bima1247  (Bima)
flor1240  (Sumba–Manggarai)

The Sumba–Flores languages, approximately synonymous with Bima–Sumba, are a proposed group of Austronesian languages (geographically Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages) spoken on and around the islands of Sumbawa (eastern), Sumba, and western–central Flores in the Lesser Sundas. The main languages are Bima and Manggarai, which have half a million speakers apiece on the eastern half of Sumbawa Island and the western third of Flores, respectively, and Kambera, with a quarter million speakers on the eastern half of Sumba Island.

The Hawu language of Savu Island is suspected of having a non-Austronesian substratum, but perhaps not to any greater extent than the languages of central and eastern Flores, such as Sika, or indeed of Central Malayo-Polynesian languages in general.

Blust (2009) finds moderate support for linking Bimanese with Sumba–Manggarai.



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