Is there a Bima-Sumba Subgroup?

Abstract

For some seven decades a number of Austronesian languages in the Lesser Sunda islands of eastern Indonesia have been assigned to a "Bima-Sumba" subgroup. No evidence has ever been presented for this group, yet through sheer repetition it has come to be accepted by many scholars. A comparative analysis of "Bima-Sumba" languages shows clear support for a Sumba-Hawu group, and limited evidence for a larger genetic unit that includes many or all of the languages of western and central Flores. However, there is no support for a more inclusive subgroup that incorporates Bimanese, unless it also includes languages that were not assigned to the original Bima-Sumba group.

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