Amto-Musan is a language family of two closely related but mutually unintelligible Papuan languages, Amto and Siawi, spoken along the Samaia River in Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea.
Facts
Disputed
Proto-Language StatusWurm (1975) and Foley (2018) treat Amto-Musan as an independent Papuan language family; Ross (2005) left it unclassified for lack of data. Timothy Usher proposes linking it with the neighboring Arai languages and Pyu in an Arai-Samaia stock, a grouping Glottolog does not adopt. 1 Usher (2020) proposes an alternative Arai-Samaia stock grouping Amto-Musan with the Arai languages and Pyu; Glottolog does not adopt this link. Partially Attested
Speaker CountCombined estimate across the family's two languages: Amto approximately 500 speakers (2013, cited here); Musan (also called Siawi) approximately 220 speakers (2007, Wikipedia Siawi language, not separately cited in this pass). RegionSandaun Province, Papua New Guinea, along the Samaia River 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Amto-Musan languages
WikipediaLead section
spoken along the Samaia River of Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea
Classification section
Foley (2018) classifies them separately as an independent language family.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Amto language
WikipediaInfobox, Native speakers fieldQuote, Infobox, Native speakers field
Native speakers: 500 (2013)
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