Abstract
This chapter presents some background considerations relevant to the patterns of language dispersal and diversification in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania. First an overview of languages and language families is given, including three large families—the widely dispersed Austronesian family, the Trans New Guinea (TNG) family in New Guinea, and the Pama-Nyungan family in Australia—as well as many smaller families and isolates. Then the main distinctive typological features of Austronesian languages, New Guinea and Australia are presented. Australia shows surprising structural homogeneity when compared to New Guinea and even to Austronesian. Subsequent sections cover the history of the study of the languages in the region, the history of the region itself, and issues for further research, including the mechanisms in the spread of Austronesian and the language development of New Guinea. The chapter concludes with a brief summary of the chapters in the book regarding the region.
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