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

Malayo-Polynesian

9.7
A group of languages spoken from Madagascar to the central Pacific, including Malay and Maori
  • noun
  • /məˌleɪoʊˈpoʊlɪˌniːʒən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : malayo-polinesio
  • Most writers agree that Madagascar was first settled by Malayo-Polynesian speakers between the 1st and 5th centuries A.D. (Deschamps 1960; Kent 1970; Brown 1978).

Examples

  • They speak about a dozen Malayo-Polynesian languages and are thought to originate from Southeast Asia.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Many people in the Philippines are native speakers of various Malayo-Polynesian languages.

  • The Malayo-Polynesian languages include widely spoken tongues like Malay and Tagalog.

  • Linguists study Malayo-Polynesian languages to understand the migration patterns of ancient peoples.

Surface Forms

Malayo-Polynesian singular
Malayo-Polynesians plural

Morphology

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

The noun denotes a technical linguistic branch composed from two regional labels; parts are recognizable but the taxonomic meaning is specialized.

Etymology

The Malayo-Polynesian family takes its name from Malay and Polynesian, with poly- meaning 'many' and the rest meaning 'islands', so it points to languages spoken in the Malay region and the many islands from Madagascar to the central Pacific.