The North Sarawakan languages are a group of
Austronesian languages spoken in the northeastern part of the province of
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...
,
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
, and proposed in Blust (1991, 2010).
;North Sarawakan languages
*
Kenyah
The Kenyah people are an indigenous, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in the remote Baram Lio Matoh, Long Selaan, Long Moh, Long Anap, Long Mekaba, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tungan, Data Kakus ...
*
Dayic languages (Apo Duat)
*
Berawan–Lower Baram
*''
Bintulu
Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located 610 kilometres (380 mi) northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres (134 mi) northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres (120 mi) ...
''
''Ethnologue'' 16 adds
Punan Tubu as an additional branch, and notes that Bintulu might be closest to Baram. The
Melanau–Kajang languages
The Melanau–Kajang languages or Central Sarawak languages are a group of languages spoken in Sarawak, Malaysia, by the Melanau, Kenyah, and related peoples.
Classification Smith (2017)
Smith (2017)Smith, Alexander. 2017. ''The Languages of Bor ...
were removed in Blust 2010.
The Northern Sarawak languages are well known for strange phonological histories.
Classification
Smith (2017)
[Smith, Alexander. 2017. ''The Languages of Borneo: A Comprehensive Classification''. PhD Dissertation: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.] classifies the North Sarawakan languages as follows.
*
Bintulu
Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located 610 kilometres (380 mi) northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres (134 mi) northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres (120 mi) ...
*
Berawan–Lower Baram
**Berawan (various dialects)
**Lower Baram (Miri, Kiput, Narum, Belait, Lelak, Lemeting, Dali’)
*
Dayic
**Kelabit (Bario, Pa’ Dalih, Tring, Sa’ban, Long Seridan, Long Napir)
**Lun Dayeh (Long Bawan, Long Semadoh)
*
Kenyah
The Kenyah people are an indigenous, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in the remote Baram Lio Matoh, Long Selaan, Long Moh, Long Anap, Long Mekaba, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tungan, Data Kakus ...
**Highland (Lepo’ Gah, Lepo’ Tau, Lepo’ Sawa, Lepo’, Lepo’ Laang, Badeng, Lepo’ Jalan, Uma’ Baha, Uma’ Bem, Òma Lóngh)
**Lowland
***Eastern Lowland (Uma’ Pawe, Uma’ Timai, Lebo’ Kulit)
***Western Lowland (Lebo’Vo’, Sebop, Penan (eastern and western varieties))
Footnotes
References
*K. Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelmann, ''The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar.'' Routledge, 2005.
*
{{Austronesian languages