Sunda-Sulawesi languages

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Sunda-Sulawesi
Geographic distribution:	Indonesia and Micronesia
Genetic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian (MP) Nuclear MP Sunda-Sulawesi
Subdivisions:	17 branches (provisional)

The Sunda-Sulawesi languages (or Inner Hesperonesian or Inner Western Malayo-Polynesian languages) are a branch of the Austronesian family which include the languages of Sulawesi and the Greater Sunda Islands, as well as a few outliers such as Chamorro and Palauan, as outlined in Wouk and Ross (2002).

The traditional group of Western Malayo-Polynesian (WMP), or Hesperonesian, has been broken up inteo "inner" (Sunda-Sulawesi) and "outer" (Borneo-Philippines) clades, and Western Malayo-Polynesian is considered merely a geographic term in this classification.

[edit] Classification

There are a number of small, closely related clusters of languages in the Sunda-Sulawesi family whose interrelationship remains uncertain.

The twenty languages of northern Sulawesi and islands to the north (the Sangiric languages such as Bantik, Minahasan languages, and Mongondow-Gorontalo languages) are not part of the Sunda-Sulawesi branch of Austronesian (Inner Hesperonesian), but rather part of the Borneo-Philippines branch (Outer Hesperonesian).

Tomini-Tolitoli languages (8 languages of northern Central Sulawesi province; includes Totoli)
Saluan-Banggai languages (4 languages of eastern Central Sulawesi)
Kaili-Pamona languages (8 languages of central Central Sulawesi)
South Sulawesi (9 languages of South Sulawesi; includes Buginese, Makassarese, and the former isolate Mbaloh)
Bungku-Tolaki languages (4 languages of South East Sulawesi)
Wotu-Wolio languages (3 languages)
Muna-Buton (6 languages offshore from South East Sulawesi, such as Tukang Besi)
Gayo language (north Sumatra)
Sumatran languages (10 languages of north-central Sumatra; includes Nias, Mentawai, and 5 Batak languages)
Malayic languages (25 languages dispersed from central Sumatra, including Malay (Malaysian/Indonesian), Minangkabau in central Sumatra, Acehnese in Aceh, Cham in Vietnam, Moken in Thailand and Burma, and Iban of northern Borneo)
Lampungic languages (2 languages of Lampung in southern Sumatra)
Sundanese (western Java)
Javanese (central Java)
Madurese (eastern Java and Madura)
Bali-Sasak languages (3 languages: Balinese on Bali, Sasak on Lombok, and Sumbawa on western Sumbawa)
Palauan (Palau)
Chamorro (Mariana Islands, including Guam)