_ _    _ _____  ___   __                       
 __      _(_) | _(_)___ / ( _ ) / /_   ___ ___  _ __ ___  
 \ \ /\ / / | |/ / | |_ \ / _ \| '_ \ / __/ _ \| '_ ` _ \ 
  \ V  V /| |   <| |___) | (_) | (_) | (_| (_) | | | | | |
   \_/\_/ |_|_|\_\_|____/ \___/ \___(_)___\___/|_| |_| |_|

Proto-Polynesian language

In today's world, Proto-Polynesian language is a topic that has gained great relevance in various areas. From the personal to the professional level, Proto-Polynesian language has captured the attention of many due to its multiple implications and consequences. Over time, it has become clear that Proto-Polynesian language is a determining factor in people's lives, as it influences their decision-making, behavior and general well-being. This is why it is of great importance to thoroughly understand this phenomenon and analyze its different dimensions in order to adequately address it. In this article, we will further explore the impact of Proto-Polynesian language in different contexts and seek to offer strategies and recommendations to address it effectively.
Proto-Polynesian
PPn
Reconstruction ofPolynesian languages
RegionTonga, Samoa, and nearby islands
Reconstructed
ancestors

Proto-Polynesian (abbreviated PPn) is the hypothetical proto-language from which all the modern Polynesian languages descend. It is a daughter language of the Proto-Austronesian language. Historical linguists have reconstructed the language using the comparative method, in much the same manner as with Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Uralic. This same method has also been used to support the archaeological and ethnographic evidence which indicates that the ancestral homeland of the people who spoke Proto-Polynesian was in the vicinity of Tonga, Samoa, and nearby islands.

Phonology

Proto-Polynesian has a small phonological inventory, with 13 consonants and 5 vowels.

Consonants

Bilabial Alveolar Velar Glottal
Plosive *p *t *k *ʔ
Nasal *m *n *ŋ
Fricative *f *s *h
Trill *r
Lateral *l
Glide *w

Vowels

Proto-Polynesian had five vowels, /a/ /e/ /i/ /o/ /u/, with no length distinction. In a number of daughter languages, successive sequences of vowels came together to produce long vowels and diphthongs, and in some languages these sounds later became phonemic.

Sound correspondences

Proto-Polynesian *p *t *k *ʔ *m *n *ŋ *w *f *s *h *l *r
Tongan p t k ʔ m n ŋ v f h l l/Ø
Niuean Ø
Niuafoʻou ʔ/Ø h h/Ø
Proto-Nuclear-Polynesian *p *t *k *ʔ *m *n *ŋ *w *f *s *Ø *l
Samoan p t~k ʔ Ø m n ŋ v f s Ø l
East Futunan t k ʔ/Ø
Tikopian Ø ɾ
Nukuoroan h l
Proto-Eastern-Polynesian *p *t *k *ʔ/Ø *m *n *ŋ *w *f *h *Ø *l
Rapa Nui p t k ʔ/Ø m n ŋ v v/h h Ø ɾ
MVA, Cook Islands Māori Ø ʔ/v ʔ
Tuamotuan f/h/v h
Māori w ɸ/h
Tahitian ʔ ʔ v f/v/h
N. Marquesan k k h ʔ
S. Marquesan ʔ n f/h
Hawaiian k v/w h/w l

Vocabulary

The following is a table of some sample vocabulary as it is represented orthographically in various languages. All instances of ⟨ʻ⟩ represent a glottal stop, IPA /ʔ/. All instances of ⟨ng⟩ and Samoan ⟨g⟩ represent the single phoneme /ŋ/. The letter ⟨r⟩ in all cases represents voiced alveolar tap /ɾ/, not /r/.

Polynesian vocabulary
Proto-Polynesian Tongan Niuean Samoan Rapa Nui Tahitian Māori Cook Islands Māori S. Marquesan Hawaiian English
*taŋata tangata tangata tagata tangata ta'ata tangata tangata ʻenata kanaka person
*sina hina hina sina hina hinahina hina ʻina hina grey-haired
*kanahe kanahe kanahe ʻanae 'anae kanae kanae ʻanae mullet
*tiale siale tiale tiale tiare tiare tīare tiare kiele flower
*waka vaka vaka vaʻa vaka va'a waka vaka vaka waʻa canoe
*fafine fefine fifine fafine vi'e/vahine vahine wahine vaʻine vehine wahine woman
*matuʔa mātu'a motua matua matuʻa metua matua metua, matua motua makua parent
*rua ua ua lua rua rua rua rua ʻua lua two
*tolu tolu tolu tolu toru toru toru toru toʻu kolu three

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Kirch, Patrick Vinton; Roger Green (2001). Hawaiki, Ancestral Polynesia: An Essay in Historical Anthropology. Cambridge University Press. pp. 99–119. ISBN 978-0-521-78309-5.
  2. ^ Marck, Jeff (2000). Topics in Polynesian languages and culture history (PDF). Pacific Linguistics 504. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  3. ^ Rolle, Nicholas (2009). "The Phonetic Nature of Niuean Vowel Length". Toronto Working Papers in Linguistics (TWPL). 31. ISSN 1718-3510.
  4. ^ Hockett, C.F. (May 1976), "The Reconstruction of Proto-Central Pacific", Anthropological Linguistics, 18 (5): 187–235
  5. ^ Archaic: the modern Tahitian word for two is piti, due to the practice of pi'i among Tahitians, a form of linguistic taboo. However, the cognate remains in the second-person dual pronoun ʻōrua, roughly translated you two.

External links

Look up Category:Proto-Polynesian language in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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