ABSTRACT
The Biak language is a continuum of closely related dialects, spoken on the islands north and northwest of the Bird’s Head peninsula of West New Guinea, notably on the major Schouten Islands (Biak, Supiori and Numfor) and on West Waigeo, Salawati, and further on smaller islands in the Dore Bay and the Raja Ampat archipelago. Sizable numbers of Biak speakers are found today in the cities of Sorong and Merauke and in small villages along the north coast of the Bird’s Head.
