Papuan (Noun)
Meaning 1
A native or inhabitant of Papua New Guinea or New Guinea.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Meaning 2
Any of the indigenous languages spoken in Papua New Guinea or New Britain or the Solomon Islands that are not Malayo-Polynesian languages.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The indigenous languages of Papua New Guinea are typically classified as Papuan, and they have a unique grammatical structure.
- Some Papuan languages have only recently been documented by linguists, who are working to preserve these languages for future generations.
- Researchers have identified over 700 languages spoken in the Pacific region, many of which are classified as Papuan languages.
- A notable feature of many Papuan languages is their complex system of suffixes and prefixes that convey grammatical meaning.
- Efforts to document and study Papuan languages have been underway for decades, but much work remains to be done in this field.