History and Origin
Aslian languages originally appeared on the western side of the main mountains and eventually spread eastwards into Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang. The nearest relatives to the Aslian languages are Monic and Nicobarese. There is a possibility the early Monic and Nicobarese people may have had contact with the migrants who moved into the Malay Peninsula from further north.
Aslian languages can be said to contain a complex palimpsest of loanwords from linguistic communities that no longer exist on the Malay Peninsula. Their former residence can be traced from the etymologies and the archaeological evidence for the succession of cultures in the region.
Today, Semai and Temiar, both Senoic or Central Aslian languages, have the most speakers, and are the only Aslian languages with over 10,000 speakers.
Read more about this topic: Aslian Languages
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