Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 14, 2026

Babar languages

The Babar languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian language family spoken on the Babar Islands, Indonesia.

Last revised
Jun 14, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
345 w
Citations
3
Source
Babar
Geographic
distribution
Indonesia
Linguistic classificationAustronesian
Proto-languageProto-Babar
Subdivisions
  • Peripheral
  • South
Language codes
Glottologbaba1274

The Babar languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian language family spoken on the Babar Islands, Indonesia.12

Languages

Proto-language

Proto-Babar was first reconstructed by Grimes & Edwards (2026).3

Proto-Babar Proto-South Babar Gloss
*kami *ʔami '1pl.excl'
*kita '1pl.incl'
*au *ai '1sg'
*ou *owu '2sg'
*lim 'arm, hand'
*(li)-awi/*(li)-awu *awi 'ash, dust'
*or *or 'bamboo'
*(wa)riʈ 'bathe'
*har *har 'betel pepper'
*manu *mani(an)/*mani(en) 'bird'
*metem 'black'
*raya 'blood'
*yai *yai 'boat'
*rui 'bone'
*tuni *kuni 'burn, roast'
*ʈaŋa 'branch'
*ʈuʈu 'breast'
*an/*ana *an 'child'
*tilu 'deaf'
*aʈu 'dog'
*waya 'dry in sun'
*tliŋa *klil 'ear'
*kaka *ʔaka 'elder sibling'
*teli 'egg'
*mata *mak/*muka 'eye'
*tei *kei 'feces'
*om 'fingernail'
*ai *ai 'fire'
*ikan *ian 'fish'
*lima 'five'
*wu- 'fruit'
*niki *ni 'fruit bat'
*peni *peni 'full'
*tiŋa 'garden'
*moho 'green'
*wulu 'hair'
*kutu *oka 'head'
*ulu 'head'
*ren 'hear'
*uma/*yuma *yum 'house'
*ira 'how much'
*buni *buni 'kill'
*tur *kur 'knee'
*utu/*kutu *oki 'louse'
*mani/*mayuni *oi mani 'man'
*wur 'mountain'
*nuru *nor 'mouth'
*ŋan *nan 'name'
*wari 'new'
*irn 'nose'
*meʈ(en) 'one'
*halan *haln 'path'
*uhan 'rain'
*wiay 'root'
*eni *ini 'sand'
*iti 'seven'
*nemo 'six'
*nie *nie 'snake'
*tani 'soil'
*tun *kun 'star'
*laya 'sun'
*maʈu 'smoke'
*ʔapun *ʔap(e)n 'stomach'
*watu *waki 'stone'
*wenaŋui *-wenani 'swim'
*iur/*iru 'tail'
*ŋiʈ/*ŋiʈi 'teeth'
*wuti 'ten'
*riwin *riwen(i) 'thousand'
*teli 'three'
*nama *nam 'tongue'
*nin *lil/*nin 'tooth'
*muta *muku 'vomit'
*wey 'water'
*ʈai 'who'
*aŋin *anni 'wind'
*(m)nu *mno 'wound'
*wayi 'younger sibling'
References

References

  1. Mark Taber. 1993. Toward a better understanding of the Indigenous Languages of Southwestern Maluku. Oceanic Linguistics 32. 389-441.
  2. Aone van Engelenhoven. 2010. Tentatively locating West-Damar among the languages of Southwest Maluku. In Chlenova, Svetlana and Fedorchuk, Artem (eds.), Studia Anthropologica: a Festschrift in Honor of Michael Chlenov, 297-326. Moscow-Jerusalem: Gesharim.
  3. Grimes, Charles E. & Owen Edwards. 2026. The Austronesian languages of eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste: Unravelling their prehistory and classification. Berlin: Language Science Press.