Uruangnirin language explained

Uruangnirin
States:Indonesia
Region:West coast Bomberai Peninsula
Pushpin Map:Indonesia Western New Guinea#Indonesia Maluku
Coordinates:-3.45°N 132.75°W
Speakers:400
Date:1983
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Austronesian
Fam2:Malayo-Polynesian (MP)
Fam3:Central–Eastern MP
Fam4:Kei–Tanimbar
Fam5:Yamdena–North Bomberai
Fam6:North Bomberai
Iso3:urn
Glotto:urua1244
Glottorefname:Uruangnirin

Uruangnirin is an Austronesian language spoken on the islands of Tarak and Faor in the Sebakor Bay, West Papua. Some Kalamang people from the neighboring island of Karas speak it as a second language.[1] The languages most closely related to Uruangnirin are Onin and Sekar of the Bomberai Peninsula.

Uruangnirin is an endangered language as the younger generations of its speakers are shifting to Papuan Malay, the local lingua franca, as well as Indonesian, the standard national language.

Notes and References

  1. Visser, Eline. (2016). A grammar sketch of Kalamang with a focus on phonetics and phonology. Master's thesis, University of Oslo.