| West Makian | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Indonesia |
| Region | North Maluku, islands of Ternate and some areas of Halmahera. |
| Native speakers | unknown (12,000 cited 1977) |
| Language family |
West Papuan
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mqs |
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.