Diedrich Daniela. A grammar of Paku: a language of Central Kalimantan

Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. — [Melbourne] Victoria, Australia: The University of Melbourne, Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, School of Languages and Linguistics, 2018. — xiv + 317 p.This thesis describes the phonology, morphology and syntax of Paku, a highly endangered East Barito language spoken in four villages in the southeast of Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia. It has currently about fifty speakers (conservative estimate, including semi-speakers) and since children, for a variety of reasons, no longer learn the language, it is classified as moribund. This thesis is part of a ARC-funded project The South East Barito languages in Indonesia and Madagascar: Safeguarding their past and future concerned with the documentation of Southeast Barito languages which Paku was thought to be a member of until the recent reclassification of languages in Borneo by Smith (2017). It is a contribution to the description of the rapidly declining linguistic diversity in Borneo and other parts of the world. In doing so, this thesis will also contribute data of Bornean languages to broader typological research.
The most intriguing features of Paku are found in the phonology of the language. For instance, Paku features extensive harmony systems. Firstly, there is comprehensive nasal harmony. This in itself is not unusual in the Austronesian world, but Paku has developed a mechanism of preventing nasal spread which is almost exclusively found in languages of Borneo - nasal preplosion. Furthermore, the majority of affixes are subject to vowel harmony, a feature which sets Paku apart from other Barito languages in the area and which accretion.
Based on the initial classification of the languages of Borneo by Hudson (1967) Paku was for a long time viewed as belonging to the Southeast Barito language group (East Barito, Greater Barito, Malayo-Polynesian) together with Maanyan, Malagasy, Dusun Malang, Dusun Witu, and Samihim. The classification of Bornean languages has recently been updated (Smith 2017). In this new classification Paku has been placed in the Central-East Barito group (Greater Barito Linkage, Basap - Greater Barito, Western Indonesian) together with Dusun Malang, Dusun Bayang (Dusun Bayan), and Samihim. Maanyan, Malagasy and Dusun Witu remain members of the Southeast Barito branch.