Western Oceanic languages

The Western Oceanic languages is a linkage of Oceanic languages, proposed and studied by Ross (1988). They make up a majority of the Austronesian languages spoken in New Guinea.

Western Oceanic
Geographic distribution	Western Pacific
Linguistic classification	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Western Oceanic
Proto-language	Proto-Western Oceanic
Subdivisions	North New Guinea linkage Meso-Melanesian linkage Papuan Tip linkage
Language codes
Glottolog	west2818
Western Oceanic

Classification

The West Oceanic linkage is made up of three sub-linkages:

• North New Guinea linkage
• Meso-Melanesian linkage
• Papuan Tip linkage

The center of dispersal was evidently near the Willaumez Peninsula on the north coast of New Britain.

References

• Lynch, John; Ross, Malcolm; Crowley, Terry (2002). The Oceanic languages. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon. ISBN 9780700711284. OCLC 48929366.
• Ross, Malcolm D. (1988). Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian languages of western Melanesia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.