The family of Southeast Solomonic languages forms a branch of the Oceanic languages. It consists of some 26 languages covering the Eastern Solomon Islands, from the tip of Santa Isabel to Makira. It is defined by the merger of Proto-Oceanic *l and *R. The fact that there is little diversity amongst these languages, compared to groups of similar size in Melanesia, suggests that they dispersed in the relatively recent past.[1] Bugotu, Gela and "supposedly" Lengo are three of the most conservative languages.
| Southeast Solomonic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Eastern Solomon Islands |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Southeast Solomonic |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | sout2853 |
 Southeast Solomons | |
Languages
According to Lynch, Ross, & Crowley (2002), the structure of the family is as follows:[2]
- Southeast Solomonic family
- Bugotu–Gela–Guadalcanal family
- Longgu–Malaita–Makira family
Basic vocabulary
Basic vocabulary in many Southeast Solomonic languages is somewhat conservative, unlike Northwest Solomonic forms, many of which have no Proto-Oceanic cognates.[3] Below, Gela and Arosi are compared with three Northwest Solomonic languages. Aberrant forms are in bold.
References
Further reading
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