Ambonese & CM languages

[Margaret Florey]

Dear Jim and AN-LANGers,

I'm just catching up with email after 9ICAL and have just read Jim
Rader's query and Waruno Mahdi's response. I hope the following helps
Jim. Please feel free to contact me directly if you'd like more
information off the list, and I can give you references, etc. for CM languages.

Jim Rader wrote:
>
> Second:  Does the word "Amboinese/Ambonese" have any
> meaning as a language label, or does this just describe the variety
> of Malay spoken on Ambon?

It is not correct, as Waruno suggests, that Asilulu was the original
language spoken on Ambon. Because of the very long contact history on
Ambon island, our knowledge of indigenous languages around the area of
Ambon city (the centre of government in the region) is limited. However,
the existence of at least 7 Ambonese languages is well reported in the
literature- both historical and contemporary. Asilulu is indeed a
language of Ambon island - spoken on the north-west coastal region by
approximately 8500 speakers. Other living languages  of Ambon island
include: Hitu, Laha, Larike-Wakasihu-Allang, Seit-Kaitetu, Tulehu.
Batumerah was spoken near Ambon city but is no longer spoken.

These languages are all daughter languages of Proto-Central Maluku, and,
at a higher level, subgroup within CEMP. There are approximately 40 CM
languages, spoken principally on the islands of Ambon, Seram (21
languages), Haruku, Saparua, Nusalaut, Manipa, Buru, Ambelau, Boana,
Kelang, Geser, Gorom, Watubela.

Is "Central Moluccan" useable as a
> label for a form from one or more languages of Maluku, or is this
> simply too broad, seeing that "Central Maluku" has been used, if
> I'm not mistaken, to describe a fairly large assemblage of
> Austronesian languages?

The term "Central Moluccan" can be used as a term to talk about the
daughter languages of Proto-Central Maluku.

Linguists who have published work concerning Central Moluccan in recent
times include myself (re Alune, Haruku, Amahai), Chuck Grimes (SIL - re
Buru), Rosemary Bolton (SIL - re Nuaulu), Win and Carol Laidig (SIL - re
Larike), Jim Collins (UKM - re Asilulu, Laha, and others from a
historical-comparative perspective.), Don van Minde (Leiden U. - re
Ambonese Malay), Johnny Tjia (SIL, Leiden U. - re Ambonese Malay). There
may be others I'm forgetting.

Best wishes,
Margaret

--
Dr. Margaret Florey
Department of Linguistics
PO Box 11A
Monash University, Clayton Campus
Victoria 3800
Australia
Ph: +61 (0)3 9905-2237
Fax: +61 (0)3 9905-2294
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ling/mf2.html