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The Polynesian languages are a group of related languages spoken in the region known as Polynesia. They are considered to be a part of the Austronesian language group, belonging to the Eastern Malayo-Polynesian branch of that family.
There are approximately forty Polynesian languages. The most prominent of these are Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan, Maori, and Hawai'ian.
Because the Polynesian islands were settled relatively recently (starting around 2,000 years ago), their languages retain strong commonalities. There are two broad subgroups: Tongan and Niuean are considered part of the Tongic division and all others are considered part of the Nuclear Polynesian division.
Examples of words remaining similar across different languages include the word for "sky" (Maori and Rapanui: rangi; Samoan and Tongan: langi; Hawai'ian: lani) and the word for "house" (Maori: whare; Tahitian: fare, Samoan: fale, Hawai'ian hale). Certain correspondenes can be noted between different Polynesian languages. For example, the Maori sounds T and Ng correspond to K and N in Hawaiian -- as such, the Maori word tangata ("people") is kanaka in Hawaiian.
Some Polynesian languages have been greatly affected by European colonization. Both Maori and Hawaiian, for example, have lost much ground to English, and have only recently been able to make progress towards restoration.
External links
Ethnologue family tree (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=118)
References
KRUPA V. (1975-1982), Polynesian Languages, Routledge and Kegan Paul
LYNCH J. (1998), Pacific Languages : an Introduction, University of Hawaii Press
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