The languages of Southern New Guinea

Abstract

Southern New Guinea (SNG) can be defined as the lowland area enclosed by the Digul River to the northwest, the Fly River to its northeast, an the waters of the Arafura Sea, the Torres Straight, and the Coral Sea to its south. Linguistically, it is one of the least known parts of the Melanesia. Yet, the glimpse we already have area enough to see that this zone has among the highest levels of linguistic diversity in New Guinea, arguably only exceeded by those found in the Sepik and north coast.