Re: Boreanesians and the Pacific Conlang League

CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU writes:
>If the Saalangal's island is on a ridge, then it is definitely
>geologically young - there's no question about it. An area is
>always geologically active anywhere two (or more?) plates meet,
>and geological activity entails young land.
Ok, so the home island still has the same types of plants found on other
islands in the region, but it also has it's own endemics (the spot is not
very close to Sumatra, like for instance the Mentawai islands are). One of
the distinguishing characteristics of the home islands is palms are
abundant, probably because of the cultivation of them by the Saalangal.
Though, one of the larger islands is named "Palm Island" because of the
abundance of an endemic palm species, as well as numerous coconut palms
planted by the Saalangal (Coconuts colonize beaches in suitable areas like
weeds).

Since activity on Carpenter ridge has ceased for quite a while (IIRC) ,
none of the volcanoes on the island are active, and many are highly eroded
(think of some of the more northerly islands of Hawaii, razor sharp
ridges, and steep cliffs. This also has created some dialectal differences
between the eastern and western sides of the island.



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 The rattan basket criticizes the palm leaf basket, still both are full of
holes.