The Greater North Borneo languages are a proposed subgroup of the Austronesian language family, historically covering languages spoken throughout much of Borneo and Sumatra, as well as parts of Java and mainland Southeast Asia. The hypothesis was first proposed by Robert Blust in 2010 and further elaborated by Alexander Smith, on solely lexical evidence. Despite its name, the branch is now understood to be widespread across maritime Southeast Asia, with the exception of the Philippines.
Facts
Disputed
Proto-Language StatusContested grouping; described by Smith in 2023 as a zone of lexical diffusion rather than a proper branch 1 RegionMaritime Southeast Asia 1 Sources
1. Greater North Borneo languages, Wikipedia
Infobox, geographic distribution
Nowadays: Throughout Maritime Southeast Asia
Classification section, 2023 reinterpretation
Smith reinterprets the Greater North Borneo branch as a 'zone of lexical diffusion' rather than a proper linguistic branch
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