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Introduction The term Papuan refers to those languages of the western Pacific that do not belong to either the Austronesian or the Australian group. Most of the Papuan languages are spoken on the island of New Guinea which is divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). A few are spoken in the Solomon Islands and in the various islands of Indonesia. One Papuan language is spoken in the eastern Torres Straits. Papuan languages exhibit great diversity. Scholars have yet to demonstrate that they descended from the same ancestral language. Although less is known about Papuan languages than about those belonging to the Austronesian and Australian families, linguists have identified a number of distinct genetic groups, referred to as phyla. One commonly-used classification system for Papuan language is used by Ethnologue. The list includes 13 phyla and 6 languages isolates that have no linguistic affiliation. The largest is the Trans-New Guinea phylum, consisting of 552 languages running mainly along the highlands of New Guinea. Other classification systems posit as many as 60 distinct language families. The dispute will, no doubt, continue, as scholars learn more about individual Papuan languages.
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Status The official languages of Papua New Guinea (PNG) are Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, and English.
Of the 820 languages spoken in PNG, the following have the largest numbers of speakers. |
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Music from Papua New Guinea In Papua New Guinea, traditional musical instruments exhibit considerable diversity, not only in form but also in the uses to which they are put, in their social and ceremonial importance, and in the meanings that may be attributed to their sounds. The symbolic nature of the instruments is underscored by names that equate them with birds and by extension, with spirits. Click here to learn more. Click here to listen to music samples from Papua New Guinea. Resources The World-Wide Web Virtual Library - Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea FAQs Bibliography of Descriptions of Papuan Languages |