Andamanese | |
---|---|
(geographic) | |
Geographic distribution | Andaman Islands |
Linguistic classification | Great Andamanese and Ongan languages not genetically related |
Subdivisions | |
Language codes | |
Distribution of Andamanese tribes at time of British contact |
The Andamanese languages are the various languages spoken by the indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. There are two known Andamanese language families, Great Andamanese and Ongan, as well as two presumed but unattested languages, Sentinelese and Jangil.
Although the languages in the Andaman Islands were once thought to be the same language family, it is now widely accepted that Great Andamanese and Ongan have no genealogical relationship. Thus, the term "Andamanese languages" is now a geographic label.