| Proto-Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| PPn | |
| Reconstruction of | Polynesian languages |
| Region | Tonga,Samoa, and nearby islands |
Reconstructed ancestors | |
Proto-Polynesian (abbreviatedPPn) is thereconstructedproto-language from which all modernPolynesian languages descend. It is a descendant of theProto-Oceanic language (the language associated with theLapita civilization), itself a descendant ofProto-Austronesian. The homeland of Proto-Polynesian speakers is believed to have beenTonga,Samoa, and nearby islands.[1]
Proto-Polynesian has a small phonological inventory, with 13 consonants and 5 vowels.[2]
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | *m | *n | *ŋ | |
| Plosive | *p | *t | *k | *ʔ |
| Fricative | *f | *s | *h | |
| Approximant | *w | *l | ||
| Trill | *r |
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]
| 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 | s/h | h | l | l/Ø | ||
| Niuean | Ø | h | |||||||||||||
| Niuafoʻou | ʔ/Ø | 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 | |||
| Mangareva,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 | |||||||||||
The following is a table of some sample vocabulary as it is representedorthographically in various languages.[4] 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[5] | rua | rua | ʻua | lua | two |
| *tolu | tolu | tolu | tolu | toru | toru | toru | toru | toʻu | kolu | three |
