The Central Maluku languages are a putative group of fifty Austronesian languages

Austronesian languages

The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...

 (geographically Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages) spoken principally on the Seram

Seram

Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :...

, Buru

Buru

Buru is the third largest island within Maluku Islands of Malay Archipelago. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Maluku province of Indonesia and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies...

, Ambon

Ambon Island

Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of , and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of 2 territories: The main city and seaport is Ambon , which is also the capital of Maluku province and Maluku Tengah Ambon Island is part of the...

, Kei, Aru

Aru Islands

The Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...

, and the Sula Islands

Sula Islands

The Sula Islands are a group of islands in North Maluku in Indonesia. Its three main islands are Mangole, Sanae and Taliabu, with smaller islands Lifamatola and Seho. It is administered as Kepulauan Sula Regency...

. None of the languages have as many as fifty thousand speakers, and several are extinct.

Classification

The traditional components of Central Maluku are the Sula, Buru, and East Central Maluku languages

East Central Maluku languages

The East Central Maluku languages are a group of Austronesian languages spoken on and around the islands of Seram and Aru in the eastern Moluccas...

, plus the Ambelau

Ambelau language

Ambelau is an Austronesian language; as of 1989, it was spoken by about 5,700 Ambelau people, of whom more than 5,000 lived on the Indonesian island Ambelau and most others in the village Wae Tawa of the nearby island Buru ....

 isolate.

A 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database fully supported the unity of East Central Maluku (with the addition of Aru

Aru languages

The Aru languages are a group of a dozen Central Maluku languages spoken on the Aru Islands in Indonesia. None are spoken by more than ten thousand people.The languages are:* Barakai* Batuley* Dobel* Karey* Koba* Kola* Kompane* Lola* Lorang...

), and supported the unity of Sula and Buru at a 90% confidence level. However, the East Central Maluku and Sula languague were only linked with 54% confidence. The Ambelau language was not considered.

Collins (1983)

The following classification of the Central Maluku languages below is from Collins (1983:20, 22).

• West Central Maluku
  • Buru–Sula–Taliabo
    • Buru
    • Sula–Taliabo
  • Ambelau
• East Central Maluku = East Seram = Nunusaku
  • Kayeli
  • Patakai–Manusela
  • Seti
  • Three Rivers
    • Wemale
    • Amalumute
      • Northwest Seram
        • Sawai
        • Hulung
        • Loun
        • Iha
        • Ulat inai
          • Naka'ela
          • Alune
  • Piru Bay
    • West Piru Bay
      • Asilulu
      • Hoamoal
        • East Hoamoal
          • Boano
          • Wakasihu
        • West Hoamoal
          • Manipa
          • Luhu
    • East Piru Bay
      • East Littoral
      • Solehua
        • Paulohi
        • Seram Straits
          • Paulohi
          • Ambon
            • Central Ambon
            • Northeast Ambon
          • Uliase
            • Kamarian
            • Hatuhaha
              • Haruku
              • Saparua
                • Saparua
                • East Elpaputi
                  • Nusalaut
                  • Amahai