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Whether the languages of the Reefs-Santa Cruz (RSC) group have a Papuan or an Austronesian origin has long been in dispute. Various background issues are treated in the introductory section. In section 2 we examine the lexicon of the RSC and Utupua-Vanikoro languages and show that there are regular sound correspondences among these languages, and that RSC languages display regular reflexes of Proto-Oceanic etyma and are therefore Austronesian. We also show that together the RSC and Utupua-Vanikoro languages form an Oceanic subgroup, which we label "Temotu," and that the Temotu group is probably a first-order subgroup within the Oceanic family. In section 3, we examine a variety of constructions and morphemes in Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands, to see whether they have plausible Oceanic sources. The answer in most cases is that they do. This is important, as several of these constructions have in the past been given as evidence that the RSC languages have a Papuan origin. We conclude that the RSC languages are Austronesian and that there is no need to posit a Papuan element to explain their origin.

1. INTRODUCTION. The languages that we are concerned with in this paper are located in the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. Santa Cruz Island is roughly 390 km from Makira in the main Solomons archipelago to the west and about 270 km from the northernmost Torres Islands of Vanuatu to the south (see map i).1 The languages of the area are listed in (1) together with alternate names and abbreviations.2 Their approximate locations are shown on map 2. The language or languages of Santa Cruz Island (also known as Nedö or Deni) form a chain of dialects. We refer here simply to two for which Tryon and Hackman (1983) supply lexical data, Malo (here labeled Natügu) and Nanggu (here Nagu). Omitted from (1), but included in map 2, are the three Polynesian languages Vaeakau-Taumako (= Pileni), Anuta, and Ukopi&acedil;.

(i) • Reefs-Santa Cruz group

-Äiwoo (= Reefs) [Aiw]

-Natügu (= Malo, Lödäi, Nedö) [Nat] 3

-Nagu [Nag]

* Utupua

-Nebao (= Aba) [Neb]

-Asuboa [Asu]

-Tanibili [Tnb]

* Vanikoro

-Buma (= Teanu) [Bum]

-Vano (= Vana) [Vno]

-Tanema (= Tanima, Tetau) [Tnm]

There are two Temotu historical topics that we...

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