Siraya is a Formosan language once spoken around Tainan City in southwest Taiwan. This comprehensive study is based on an analysis of the language of the Siraya Gospel of St. Matthew, which was translated from the Dutch in 1661. It contains a grammar, lexicon and extensive text with interlinear glossing as well as an introduction with detailed background information. Siraya has many unique linguistic features, which are of great interest to the study of linguistic typology in general. They include various reduplication patterns, orientation prefixes (adding the notions of motion, location or comitation to a verb) and anticipating sequences. The latter are (usually) formal elements of the lexical verb, such as a first consonant or a first syllable, which are prefixed to the auxiliary. Siraya is also of crucial importance for the prehistory of Taiwan because it is one of the first languages to branch off from the Austronesian language family, which has more than 1200 members. The volume is a major contribution to the Siraya people who are keen to rehabilitate Siraya culture heritage and are endeavouring to learn their lost language again. It is a unique achievement in the endeavour to revitalise the traditional languages of Taiwan.

This grammar is a complete reference guide to the language of Indonesia as used by native speakers. The book is organised to promote a thorough understanding of Indonesian grammar. It presents the complexities of Indonesian in a concise and readable form. An extensive index, cross-referencing and a generous use of headings will provide readers with immediate access to the information they require. Key features: to aid clarity, all word groups and structures discussed are illustrated by natural examples of frequently used words and expressions each section can be read independently, enabling the reader to focus on a specific aspect of the language, if required all major structures of Indonesian, from words to complex sentences are described in detail common grammatical terms used are all clearly defined in an extensive glossary. By providing a comprehensive description of Indonesian in a clear and non-technical manner, this grammar makes an ideal reference source for all users of the language, whether in colleges, universities or adult education classes of all types. James Neil Sneddon was Associate Professor in the Faculty of Asian and International Studies at Griffith University, with long experience teaching Indonesian language and linguistics. He is also author of Understanding Indonesian Grammar. Alexander Adelaar is Principal Fellow in the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne. He is author of a number of books on Austronesian linguistics. Dwi Noverini Djenar lectures in the Department of Indonesian Studies at the University of Sydney. She is author of Semantic, Pragmatic and Discourse Perspectives of Preposition Use: A study of Indonesian locatives. Michael C Ewing is a senior lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne. He is author of Grammar and Inference in Conversation: Identifying clause structure in spoken Javanese.

Some 800 Austronesian languages are spoken in the area extending from Madagascar to eastern Indonesia and to the north to Taiwan and the Philippines. They vary greatly in almost every possible respect, including the size and social make-up of the speech communities and their typological profiles. This book is designed to serve as a reference work and in-depth introduction to these languages, providing a source of basic information for linguists and other professionals concerned with this area. It highlights the cultural and linguistic diversity of this group of languages while at the same time keeping track of their common heritage.

Five introductory articles on linguistic history, language politics, language endangerment, ritual speech and special registers, and major typological features have the entire area in their scope and provide a balanced and up-to-date discussion of the major issues. The core of the volume consists of grammatical sketches of twenty languages plus three chapters dealing with different aspects of Malay (Old Malay, Malayic varieties and Colloquial Indonesian), representing a good cross-section of the linguistic diversity found in the area.

This grammar is a complete reference guide to the language of Indonesia as used by native speakers. The book is organised to promote a thorough understanding of Indonesian grammar. It presents the complexities of Indonesian in a concise and readable form. An extensive index, cross-referencing and a generous use of headings will provide readers with immediate access to the information they require. Key features: to aid clarity, all word groups and structures discussed are illustrated by natural examples of frequently used words and expressions each section can be read independently, enabling the reader to focus on a specific aspect of the language, if required all major structures of Indonesian, from words to complex sentences are described in detail common grammatical terms used are all clearly defined in an extensive glossary. By providing a comprehensive description of Indonesian in a clear and non-technical manner, this grammar makes an ideal reference source for all users of the language, whether in colleges, universities or adult education classes of all types. James Neil Sneddon was Associate Professor in the Faculty of Asian and International Studies at Griffith University, with long experience teaching Indonesian language and linguistics. He is also author of Understanding Indonesian Grammar. Alexander Adelaar is Principal Fellow in the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne. He is author of a number of books on Austronesian linguistics. Dwi Noverini Djenar lectures in the Department of Indonesian Studies at the University of Sydney. She is author of Semantic, Pragmatic and Discourse Perspectives of Preposition Use: A study of Indonesian locatives. Michael C Ewing is a senior lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne. He is author of Grammar and Inference in Conversation: Identifying clause structure in spoken Javanese.

Some 800 Austronesian languages are spoken in the area extending from Madagascar to eastern Indonesia and to the north to Taiwan and the Philippines. They vary greatly in almost every possible respect, including the size and social make-up of the speech communities and their typological profiles. This book is designed to serve as a reference work and in-depth introduction to these languages, providing a source of basic information for linguists and other professionals concerned with this area. It highlights the cultural and linguistic diversity of this group of languages while at the same time keeping track of their common heritage.

Five introductory articles on linguistic history, language politics, language endangerment, ritual speech and special registers, and major typological features have the entire area in their scope and provide a balanced and up-to-date discussion of the major issues. The core of the volume consists of grammatical sketches of twenty languages plus three chapters dealing with different aspects of Malay (Old Malay, Malayic varieties and Colloquial Indonesian), representing a good cross-section of the linguistic diversity found in the area.

This volume presents the most wide-ranging treatment available today of the Malayo-Polynesian languages of Southeast Asia and their outliers, a group of more than 800 languages belonging to the wider Austronesian family. It brings together leading scholars and junior researchers to offer a comprehensive account of the historical relations, typological diversity, and varied sociolinguistic issues that characterize this group of languages, including current debates in their prehistories and descriptive priorities for future study. The book is divided into four parts. Part I deals with historical linguistics, including discussion of human genetics, archaeology, and cultural history. Chapters in Part II explore language contact between Malayo-Polynesian and unrelated languages, as well as sociolinguistic issues such as multilingualism, language policy, and language endangerment. Part III provides detailed overviews of the different groupings of Malayo-Polynesian languages, while Part IV offers in-depth studies of important typological features across the whole linguistic area. The Oxford Guide to the Malayo-Polynesian Languages of Southeast Asia will be an essential reference for students and researchers specializing in Austronesian languages and for typologists and comparative linguists more broadly.