Three Rivers languages
Encyclopedia
The Three Rivers languages are a group of ten Malayo-Polynesian languages
spoken on the island of Seram
. None of the languages have more than about twenty thousand speakers, and several are endangered with extinction.
Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
spoken on the island of 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 :...
. None of the languages have more than about twenty thousand speakers, and several are endangered with extinction.
Classification
According to Ethnologue 15, the languages are as follows:- Yalahatan
- Wemale
- Amalumute: Hulung, Lisabata-Nuniali, LounLoun languageThe Loun language is an Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, mainly in the Maluku archipelago. The language is critically endangered, even the most optimistic estimates give the language less than 100 speakers....
, Piru, Ulat Inai (AluneAluneThe Alune, are one of the more ancient ethnic groups of Seram Island, Indonesia. They number about 17,000 and live in 27 villages of the western-central area of the island. Like the Wemale, they originated in a common group called Patasiwa....
, Naka'ela)