Reintroducing Welaun

In this article I provide an overview of Welaun, an Austronesian language of central Timor. Despite previous documentation, Welaun is mostly unknown to the scientific community. Based on data gathered during original fieldwork, I show that Welaun is a distinct language according to both linguistic and social criteria. I investigate the historical phonology of Welaun and show that it, Kemak, Tokodede, and Mambae form a Central Timor subgroup apart from other languages of the region. I also provide an initial description of the phonology and morphology of Welaun along with a glossed text and two wordlists.