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Glite Dictionary
Eastern Malayo-Polynesian

Eastern Malayo-Polynesian

9.8
A group of languages related to Malay and Polynesian spoken in eastern Indonesia and the Pacific
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Malayo-Polinesio Oriental
  • Most languages spoken in eastern Indonesia belong to the Eastern Malayo-Polynesian group.

Examples

  • Linguists classify several Pacific languages as part of the Eastern Malayo-Polynesian subfamily.

  • The migration patterns of Eastern Malayo-Polynesian speakers have been studied extensively.

  • The Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages are rich in cultural history.

  • Many scholars study Eastern Malayo-Polynesian dialects.

  • Linguists classify several Pacific languages as part of the Eastern Malayo-Polynesian subfamily.

  • Most languages spoken in eastern Indonesia belong to the Eastern Malayo-Polynesian group.

  • The migration patterns of Eastern Malayo-Polynesian speakers have been studied extensively.

Surface Forms

Eastern Malayo-Polynesian singular
Eastern Malayo-Polynesians plural

Morphology

eastern + Malayo-Polynesian

The meaning — the eastern subgroup/branch of the Malayo-Polynesian languages — is directly derivable from combining 'eastern' (relating to the east) with 'Malayo-Polynesian' (the language subgroup). This adjective + family-name composition is a standard, transparent pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Eastern Malayo-Polynesian was created to label a 'group of languages in the east'. Malayo points to the Malay islands and Polynesian to the many Pacific islands, and Eastern shows these languages are farther to the east, so the name means languages spoken in eastern Indonesia and the Pacific.