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Language Distribution Map for Papua New Guinea

Language Distribution Map in Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Of the 851 languages identified in Papua New Guinea, 839 are living. The map shows
that Papua New Guinea has a bewildering patchwork of different language subgroups.
Genetically, there are two main language families in Papua New Guinea, Austronesian and
Papuan. The term Papuan is not a single language family but rather a term of convenience
referring to an amalgam of as many as sixty different language families for wich there
is no evidence as yet of relatedness (Aikhenvald and Stebbins, 2007: 239). There are 240
Austronesian languages, 28.20% of the total. Austronesian languages tend to be found on
islands and in the coastal areas of New Guinea. However, some Austronesian languages
exist inland. Papuan languages form the majority, but the even the largest of these has
only 100,000 speakers.

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