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Glite Dictionary
🌴 From Polynesia 🧑🏽‍🦱 A Pacific Islander 🗣️ Pacific languages
Polynesian

Polynesian

6.7
A group of related languages spoken in Polynesia like Maori and Hawaiian
  • noun
  • /ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒən/
translation icon : lengua polinesia
  • The conference featured a discussion on the preservation of Polynesian languages and traditions in modern society.

Examples

  • The linguist studied Polynesian languages such as Hawaiian and Maori to understand their structure.

  • So Aloha in Hawaiian, which literally means love in in proto Polynesian is alo OFA with two, two glottal stops in it.

  • Many people are learning Polynesian languages to connect with their heritage and culture.

Synonyms

Oceanic
vsPolynesian
  • Specialized
1 9.4

A group of languages spoken on the Pacific islands

is narrower, focusing on languages of the central Pacific island group
Malayo-Polynesian
vsPolynesian
  • Specialized
9.7

A group of languages spoken from Madagascar to the central Pacific, including Malay and Maori

is narrower, focused on languages mainly in the central Pacific islands
Austronesian language
vsPolynesian
  • Specialized
8.1

A language spoken on islands in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Madagascar

is a smaller regional subset concentrated in central Pacific islands
Austronesian
vsPolynesian
  • Specialized
9.1

A language spoken in Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and the Pacific

is limited to languages of the central Pacific island group

Compounds

Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
  • Specialized
9.8

A group of languages related to Malay and Polynesian spoken in eastern Indonesia and the Pacific

Malayo-Polynesian
  • Specialized
9.7

A group of languages spoken from Madagascar to the central Pacific, including Malay and Maori

Polynesian tattler
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wading bird that migrates to Pacific coasts

Western Malayo-Polynesian
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related languages spoken in parts of Southeast Asia and the western Pacific

Surface Forms

Polynesian singular
Polynesians plural

Morphology

Polynesian = Polynesia (transparent) = Polynesia + an

The use of the adjective as a noun to name the language group is a standard nominalization of a demonym/adjectival form derived from 'Polynesia' + '-an'.

Etymology

Polynesian comes from the Greek parts poly- 'many' and -nesos 'island'. So Polynesian languages are the related languages spoken across those many Pacific islands, for example Hawaiian and Maori.