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Glite Dictionary
🌏 Related to languages 🗣️ A language group
Malayo-Polynesian

Malayo-Polynesian

8.8
Relating to languages spoken in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Madagascar
  • adjective
  • /məˌleɪoʊˈpoʊlɪˌniːʒən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : malayo-polinesio
  • Many languages spoken in Indonesia and the Philippines are classified as Malayo-Polynesian.

Examples

  • Scholars have studied the migration patterns of Malayo-Polynesian speakers across the Pacific islands.

  • The Malayo-Polynesian languages are known for their complex systems of verb affixation.

  • The Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by millions of people.

  • Many Malayo-Polynesian languages have unique phonetic features.

  • Many languages in the Philippines and Indonesia belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language family.

  • Linguists often explore the Malayo-Polynesian languages to understand their unique grammatical structures.

  • The rich cultural heritage of the Malayo-Polynesian peoples is reflected in their languages.

Surface Forms

Malayo-Polynesian positive

Morphology

Malayo-Polynesian = Malay + Polynesian (semi-transparent) = Malayo + Polynesian

The compound transparently combines references to Malay and Polynesian groups, but 'Malayo-' is a specialized combining form and the whole term is a technical linguistic label.

Etymology

The word Malayo-Polynesian combines Malay, the people and language of Southeast Asia, and Polynesian, where poly- means 'many' and the rest means 'islands', as in polygon where poly- also means 'many'. So Malayo-Polynesian describes languages that come from the Malay area and the many islands across the Pacific and Indian Ocean.