Guess the Language, anyone?

[Vijay]

Does your definition of "Oceania" include any part of Indonesia, and if so, is it spoken there?

EDIT: Woohoo! I just became a Smeric!

[opipik]

Does your definition of "Oceania" include any part of Indonesia, and if so, is it spoken there?

EDIT: Woohoo! I just became a Smeric!

Yes.

[Vijay]

Kowiai?

EDIT: I really just picked Kowiai because I found it in the list of Malayo-Polynesian languages on Wikipedia, not too far above "Oceanic languages," and its name reminds me of Korowai, which is a group of people living near where Kowiai-speakers live who I remember seeing a few pictures of in National Geographic as a teenager or something (more recently, I also saw a picture of a Korowai man on Wikipedia).

[opipik]

Kowiai?

EDIT: I really just picked Kowiai because I found it in the list of Malayo-Polynesian languages on Wikipedia, not too far above "Oceanic languages," and its name reminds me of Korowai, which is a group of people living near where Kowiai-speakers live who I remember seeing a few pictures of in National Geographic as a teenager or something (more recently, I also saw a picture of a Korowai man on Wikipedia).

Nope

[Vijay]

Okay, I don't think I have any interesting guesses left to make, so it's basically down to trying to eliminate all but one of the various Austronesian languages spoken in Indonesia.

Is it spoken in Maluku Province?

[opipik]

Yes.

[Vijay]

Is it part of the Central Maluku group? That's the largest group of (Austronesian) languages spoken in Maluku Province that I know of.

[opipik]

Is it part of the Central Maluku group? That's the largest group of (Austronesian) languages spoken in Maluku Province that I know of.

Nope.

[Vijay]

Okay, so I'll guess what appears to be the next-largest group: Timoric/Timor-Babar?

[opipik]

Okay, so I'll guess what appears to be the next-largest group: Timoric/Timor-Babar?

Nope.

[Vijay]

So then I'll guess what I guess is the next-largest: Aru?

[opipik]

So then I'll guess what I guess is the next-largest: Aru?

Nope

[Vijay]

Okay, is it one of the Kei-Tanimbar languages? That seems to be the next-largest group.

[opipik]

Okay, is it one of the Kei-Tanimbar languages? That seems to be the next-largest group.

Nope.

[Vijay]

Is it one of the Halmahera Sea languages? I forgot about those.

[opipik]

Is it one of the Halmahera Sea languages? I forgot about those.

Nope.

[Vijay]

Is the language Selaru?

[opipik]

Is the language Selaru?

Yes, it is Selaru. You won

[Vijay]

Yay, finally! So here's my next text, from a book a few of my relatives once gave me:

Tikhatsi letimatima

Emavi embhali

Ngibonga tinhlupheko netikhatsi letimatima lengake ngahlangabetana nato emphilweni yami ngobe vele kungumtsetfo wemvelo kutsi njalo emuva kwetinsizi netikhatsi letimatima kuyavama injabulo.

Ngwane, lelibhukwana lingumtsamo wetindzatjana letimfisha lengitetse sihloko ngatsi TIKHATSI LETIMATIMA. Tigameko netigigaba lengibhale ngato lapha tingumfanekiso wetintfo letike tenteke, hhayi kutsi ngibhale ngetintfo letitsite letake tenteka nome letenteka kubantfu labatsite lengibatiko nalengingabati.

[Frislander]

Yay, finally! So here's my next text, from a book a few of my relatives once gave me:

Tikhatsi letimatima

Emavi embhali

Ngibonga tinhlupheko netikhatsi letimatima lengake ngahlangabetana nato emphilweni yami ngobe vele kungumtsetfo wemvelo kutsi njalo emuva kwetinsizi netikhatsi letimatima kuyavama injabulo.

Ngwane, lelibhukwana lingumtsamo wetindzatjana letimfisha lengitetse sihloko ngatsi TIKHATSI LETIMATIMA. Tigameko netigigaba lengibhale ngato lapha tingumfanekiso wetintfo letike tenteke, hhayi kutsi ngibhale ngetintfo letitsite letake tenteka nome letenteka kubantfu labatsite lengibatiko nalengingabati.

Nguni?

[Vijay]

Yep.

[opipik]

Swazi?

[Vijay]

Yep! How'd you get that so fast? Your turn.

[opipik]

“Amachu ynthiing la nache ynziihka omna,
‘Ama aongniichu haangrasiing;
amanache achuw ingkho ongmah rasiing.’
Havikho ynziihka omna,
‘Achuw yngkheh ing ama aphamchu virasiing.’

No googling

[Frislander]

Spoken in South America?