Nicobarese languages

The Nicobarese languages appear to be related to the Shompen language of the indigenous inhabitants of the interior of Great Nicobar Island (Blench & Sidwell 2011), which is usually considered a separate branch of Austroasiatic. However, Paul Sidwell (2017) classifies Shompen as a Southern Nicobaric language rather than as a separate branch of Austroasiatic.

Typology

The morphological similarities between Nicobarese and Austronesian languages have been used as evidence for the Austric hypothesis (Reid 1994). Weber (2025) also noted typological similarities between Nicobarese and Austronesian that are absent in other Austroasiatic branches, and suggested that Nicobarese may have an Austronesian substrate.

In general, the Nicobarese languages display verb-initial word orders, and have elaborate paradigmatic agreement systems. They also have suffixing, which is uncommon in the Mainland Southeast Asia linguistic area.

Nancowry, Chaura, Teressa show nominative-accusative alignment in marking and agreement. Car Nicobarese however displays a highly eccentric ergative alignment and split ergativity (based on word order). In contrast with nearly entirely of the ergative languages of the world where marking agreement with the ergative (A) arguments is the norm, in Car Nicobarese the subjects (S) of intransitive predicates and the patients (P) of transitive predicates often receive overt markings and agreement instead. This marked absolutive pattern is illustrated by following examples:

1. Intransitive S

cɨ́ʔ-t-a=ʔən

short-toward-STAT=3SG

ŋih

this.SG.NHUM

ta-hɛ́l

PTCP-flow

'This [flowing thing] river is short.'

2. Transitive P of V-P-A (agreement but no case marking)

ha-cát-ŋɛ́n=ʔək

CAUS-lost-away=3SG.NONVIS.PST

lípəɾɛ

book

cin

1SG

'I lost the book.'

3. Transitive P of V-A-P (case marked but no agreement)

lakúk-ə=tiʔ

break-ANTIPASS=hand

cin

1SG

tə=pilɤ́n

ABS=bottle

'I broke a bottle.'