Languages of Timor and southern Maluku

This chapter provides a typological overview of the Malayo-Polynesian languages spoken in the region extending south from the Kei and Aru Islands, through the Tanimbar and Southwest Moluccan Islands, to Timor and the island of Rote. Using the limited extant materials, the chapter takes a comparative look at what are some of the smallest and least known languages of Island Southeast Asia, outlining key elements of their phonology, morphology, noun phrases, grammatical relations, negative expressions, and serial verb constructions. Particular attention is given to typologically unusual patterns that have been described for these languages, including isolating word structure, synchronic metathesis with morphosyntactic functions, reduplication marking relative clauses and syntactic dependency more broadly, agreement on numerals, and split-S alignment of verbal agreement affixes. Despite some broad typological similarities, the chapter underlines the many divisions that are present in the languages. In the north of the region, Kei has several typological features that diverge from other languages in southern Maluku. Southwest Maluku languages have a divided profile, patterning in some respects like Timor languages and in other respects like Tanimbar languages and to a lesser extent Aru languages. There is also a clear typological split in Timor, with central-eastern Timor languages showing several patterns in common with one another that are typically absent in western Timor and nearby islands.