Proto-Polynesian language
Ancestor of the Polynesian languages
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Proto-Polynesian (abbreviated PPn) is the reconstructed proto-language from which all modern Polynesian languages descend. It is a descendant of the Proto-Oceanic language (the language associated with the Lapita civilization), itself a descendant of Proto-Austronesian. The homeland of Proto-Polynesian speakers is believed to have been Tonga, Samoa, and nearby islands.[1]
| Proto-Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| PPn | |
| Reconstruction of | Polynesian languages |
| Region | Tonga, Samoa, and nearby islands |
| Era | 800—200 BCE[citation needed] |
Reconstructed ancestors | |
Phonology
Proto-Polynesian has a small phonological inventory, with 13 consonants and 5 vowels.[2]
Consonants
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.[3]
Sound correspondences
Following principles of the Comparative method, it is possible to observe regular sound correspondences among Polynesian languages, and to reconstruct the most likely protophoneme for every ancestral step.[4]
| Proto-Polynesian | *p | *t/*ti | *k | *m | *n | *ŋ | *w | *f | *s | *h | *ʔ | *l | *r | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niuean | p | t | k | m | n | ŋ | v | f | Ø | h | h | l | l/Ø | ||
| Niuafoʻou | t/s | ʔ/Ø | h/Ø | ||||||||||||
| Tongan | s/h | h | ʔ | ||||||||||||
| Proto-Nuclear-Polynesian | *p | *t/*ti | *k | *m | *n | *ŋ | *w | *f | *s | *Ø | *ʔ | *l | |||
| Vaeakau-Taumako | p | t/s/h | k | m | n | ŋ | v | f/h | s/h | Ø | Ø | l | |||
| Samoan | t~k | ʔ | f | s | |||||||||||
| Wallisian | t/s | k | h | ʔ | |||||||||||
| East Futunan | t | s | ʔ/Ø | ||||||||||||
| Tokelauan | h | Ø | |||||||||||||
| Tuvaluan | s | ||||||||||||||
| Pukapukan | w | θʲ | |||||||||||||
| Kapingamarangi | w | h | h | ||||||||||||
| Nukuoroan | v | s | |||||||||||||
| Sikaiana | n | f/h | |||||||||||||
| Takuu | f | r/l | |||||||||||||
| Tikopian, Emae | ŋ | ɾ | |||||||||||||
| Mele | t/t͡ɕ | ||||||||||||||
| Futuna-Aniwa | t/ʃ | β | s/ʃ | r/l | |||||||||||
| Rennellese | t | h/p/β | s/h | ⁿg | |||||||||||
| Anuta | t~s | v~w | p | t~s | l~r | ||||||||||
| Luangiua | k | ʔ | ŋ | v | h | h | |||||||||
| Proto-Eastern-Polynesian | *p | *t | *k | *m | *n | *ŋ | *w | *f | *h | *Ø | *ʔ/Ø | *l | |||
| Tongareva | p | t | k | m | n | ŋ | v | v/h | s/h | Ø | Ø | l | |||
| Rapa Nui | h | ʔ/Ø | ɾ | ||||||||||||
| Tuamotuan, Manihiki | f/h/v | Ø | |||||||||||||
| Māori | w | ɸ/h | |||||||||||||
| Rapa Iti | v | Ø/ʔ | h/ʔ | ||||||||||||
| Mangareva, Cook Islands Māori | ʔ/v | ʔ | |||||||||||||
| Rurutu | ʔ | ʔ | ʔ/f | ||||||||||||
| Tahitian | f/h/v | h | |||||||||||||
| Ra’ivavae | h | g | |||||||||||||
| N. Marquesan | k/ʔ | n/k | ʔ | ||||||||||||
| S. Marquesan | ʔ | n | f/h | ||||||||||||
| Hawaiian | t~k | v~w | h/w | l | |||||||||||
Vocabulary
The following is a table of some sample vocabulary as it is represented orthographically in various languages.[5] 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/.
| 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 | mātua | metua, matua | motua | makua | parent |
| *rua | ua | ua | lua | rua | rua[6] | rua | rua | ʻua | lua | two |
| *tolu | tolu | tolu | tolu | toru | toru | toru | toru | toʻu | kolu | three |
