Austronesian Lexemes in Basa Latala of Borneo: A Punan Sajau Song Language

Abstract

Abstract: In recent work based on a 130-item wordlist, Lansing et al. claim that Basa Latala, a Punan Sajau song language of Borneo, is not an Austronesian language. In this squib, we argue that there is no linguistic basis for this claim. Many Basa Latala words have clear Austronesian and Borneo cognates and show evidence of Austronesian cognate morphology.