It is now known that the Melanesian languages do not form a genealogical node: they are at best
paraphyletic, and very likely
polyphyletic; like
Papuan, the term is now used as one of convenience, and sometimes placed in
scare quotes. Although the term was at least in the beginning partially racial rather than linguistic, the Melanesian and other
Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages are typologically similar, due to being the Austronesian languages most heavily restructured under the influence of various Papuan language families. In terms of phylogenetic affiliation, “Melanesian languages” thus refer to a heterogenous set of
language families: • some
Austronesian languages, more precisely: • the
South Halmahera–West New Guinea branch of
CEMP. • several branches of the
Oceanic languages:
Admiralties;
Yapese;
St Matthias;
Western Oceanic;
Temotu;
Southeast Solomons;
Southern Oceanic; plus, the languages of
Fiji, i.e. all the
Central Pacific languages except
Polynesian. • all non-Austronesian languages of the region, i.e.
Papuan languages (themselves a heterogenous set) ==Languages of Melanesia==