A classification of Kenyah languages: a preliminary statement.

In this paper I give an overview of problems faced when studying Kenyah languages, in particular the complex issues regarding language and ethnicity and the terminology related to Kenyah languages. A sketch of the previous classifications will open the way to the explanations of the reasons why historical linguistics is the most objective approach to apply in such an intricate area of research. The definition of the shared innovations that determine the Kayan-Kenyah branch of languages within the Western branch of Austronesian languages is the necessary step for the classification of Kenyah languages seen in a comprehensive way regardless of administrative or geographic borders