Barito languages
The Barito languages are around twenty Austronesian languages of Indonesia (Borneo), plus Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar. They are named after the Barito River located in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.
| Barito | |
|---|---|
| Greater Barito | |
| Geographic distribution | Indonesia (Borneo), Madagascar, Southern Philippines |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian |
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | grea1283 |
The Barito subgroup was first proposed by Hudson (1967), comprising the three branches East Barito, West Barito, and Mahakam (Barito–Mahakam). It is thought by some to be a Sprachbund rather than a genuine clade. For example, Adelaar (2005) rejects Barito as a valid group despite accepting less traditional groups such as North Bornean and Malayo-Sumbawan.
The Malagasy language originates from the Southeast Barito languages, and Ma'anyan is its closest relative, with numerous Malay (close to Indonesian) and Javanese loanwords. It known that Ma'anyan people were brought as labourers and slaves by Malay and Javanese people in their trading fleets, which reached Madagascar by ca. 50–500 AD.