Piru Bay languages

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Piru Bay
Geographic distribution:	Indonesia: Ambon and Seram
Linguistic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian (MP) Nuclear MP Central Maluku ? East Central Maluku Seram ? Nunusaku Piru Bay
Subdivisions:	—
Ethnologue code:	`17-1382`

The Piru Bay languages are a group of twenty Malayo-Polynesian languages, spoken on Ambon Island and around Piru Bay on the island of Seram. None of the languages have more than about twenty thousand speakers, and several are endangered with extinction.

Classification

According to Ethnologue 15 & 16, the languages are as follows:

West Piru Bay (Seram and Ambon islands)
- Asilulu: Asilulu, Seit-Kaitetu
- Hoamoal: Luhu (Piru); Larike-Wakasihu, Boano
East Piru Bay
- ?Sepa–Teluti
- Seram Straits
  - East Ambon: Hitu, Tulehu, Laha, ?Haruku
  - Paulohi (Solehua)
  - Uliase (Lease Islands)
    - Kamarian, ?Kaibobo
    - Hatuhaha
      - Elpaputi: Amahai, Nusa Laut
      - Saparua: Saparua, Latu

Haruku and Kaibobo are not explicitly classified, but the former is apparently quite close to Tulehu on Ambon Island, and the latter to Kamarian; many of the Piru Bay languages form a dialect continuum.

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