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Proto-Polynesian language
View on Wikipedia| Proto-Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| PPn | |
| Reconstruction of | Polynesian languages |
| Region | Tonga, Samoa, and nearby islands |
Reconstructed ancestors | |
Proto-Polynesian (abbreviated PPn) is the reconstructed proto-language from which all modern Polynesian languages descend. It is a descendant of the Proto-Oceanic language (the language associated with the Lapita civilization), itself a descendant of Proto-Austronesian. The homeland of Proto-Polynesian speakers is believed to have been Tonga, Samoa, and nearby islands.[1]
Phonology
[edit]Proto-Polynesian has a small phonological inventory, with 13 consonants and 5 vowels.[2]
Consonants
[edit]| Bilabial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | *m | *n | *ŋ | |
| Plosive | *p | *t | *k | *ʔ |
| Fricative | *f | *s | *h | |
| Approximant | *w | *l | ||
| Trill | *r |
Vowels
[edit]Proto-Polynesian had five vowels, /a/ /e/ /i/ /o/ /u/, with no length distinction. In a number of daughter languages, successive sequences of vowels came together to produce long vowels and diphthongs, and in some languages these sounds later became phonemic.[3]
Sound correspondences
[edit]| Proto-Polynesian | *p | *t | *k | *ʔ | *m | *n | *ŋ | *w | *f | *s | *h | *l | *r | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tongan | p | t | k | ʔ | m | n | ŋ | v | f | s/h | h | l | l/Ø | ||
| Niuean | Ø | h | |||||||||||||
| Niuafoʻou | ʔ/Ø | h/Ø | |||||||||||||
| Proto-Nuclear-Polynesian | *p | *t | *k | *ʔ | *m | *n | *ŋ | *w | *f | *s | *Ø | *l | |||
| Samoan | p | t~k | ʔ | Ø | m | n | ŋ | v | f | s | Ø | l | |||
| East Futunan | t | k | ʔ/Ø | ||||||||||||
| Tikopian | Ø | ɾ | |||||||||||||
| Nukuoroan | h | l | |||||||||||||
| Proto-Eastern-Polynesian | *p | *t | *k | *ʔ/Ø | *m | *n | *ŋ | *w | *f | *h | *Ø | *l | |||
| Rapa Nui | p | t | k | ʔ/Ø | m | n | ŋ | v | v/h | h | Ø | ɾ | |||
| Mangareva, Cook Islands Māori | Ø | ʔ/v | ʔ | ||||||||||||
| Tuamotuan | f/h/v | h | |||||||||||||
| Māori | w | ɸ/h | |||||||||||||
| Tahitian | ʔ | ʔ | v | f/v/h | |||||||||||
| N. Marquesan | k | k | h | ʔ | |||||||||||
| S. Marquesan | ʔ | n | f/h | ||||||||||||
| Hawaiian | k | v/w | h/w | l | |||||||||||
Vocabulary
[edit]The following is a table of some sample vocabulary as it is represented orthographically in various languages.[4] All instances of ⟨ʻ⟩ represent a glottal stop, IPA /ʔ/. All instances of ⟨ng⟩ and Samoan ⟨g⟩ represent the single phoneme /ŋ/. The letter ⟨r⟩ in all cases represents voiced alveolar tap /ɾ/, not /r/.
| Proto-Polynesian | Tongan | Niuean | Samoan | Rapa Nui | Tahitian | Māori | Cook Islands Māori | S. Marquesan | Hawaiian | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *taŋata | tangata | tangata | tagata | tangata | ta'ata | tangata | tangata | ʻenata | kanaka | person |
| *sina | hina | hina | sina | hina | hinahina | hina | ʻina | hina | grey-haired | |
| *kanahe | kanahe | kanahe | ʻanae | 'anae | kanae | kanae | ʻanae | mullet | ||
| *tiale | siale | tiale | tiale | tiare | tiare | tīare | tiare | kiele | flower | |
| *waka | vaka | vaka | vaʻa | vaka | va'a | waka | vaka | vaka | waʻa | canoe |
| *fafine | fefine | fifine | fafine | vi'e/vahine | vahine | wahine | vaʻine | vehine | wahine | woman |
| *matuʔa | mātu'a | motua | matua | matuʻa | metua | mātua | metua, matua | motua | makua | parent |
| *rua | ua | ua | lua | rua | rua[5] | rua | rua | ʻua | lua | two |
| *tolu | tolu | tolu | tolu | toru | toru | toru | toru | toʻu | kolu | three |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Kirch, Patrick Vinton; Roger Green (2001). Hawaiki, Ancestral Polynesia: An Essay in Historical Anthropology. Cambridge University Press. pp. 99–119. ISBN 978-0-521-78309-5.
- ^ Marck, Jeff (2000). Topics in Polynesian languages and culture history (PDF). Pacific Linguistics 504. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
- ^ Rolle, Nicholas (2009). "The Phonetic Nature of Niuean Vowel Length". Toronto Working Papers in Linguistics. 31. ISSN 1718-3510.
- ^ Hockett, C.F. (May 1976), "The Reconstruction of Proto-Central Pacific", Anthropological Linguistics, 18 (5): 187–235
- ^ Archaic: the modern Tahitian word for two is piti, due to the practice of pi'i among Tahitians, a form of linguistic taboo. However, the cognate remains in the second-person dual pronoun ʻōrua, roughly translated you two.
External links
[edit]Proto-Polynesian language
View on GrokipediaBackground
Reconstruction methods
The reconstruction of Proto-Polynesian (PPn) primarily relies on the comparative method, which identifies regular sound correspondences among cognates in daughter Polynesian languages to posit ancestral forms. This approach involves compiling sets of related words across languages, eliminating apparent borrowings, and establishing consistent phonological patterns to reconstruct proto-phonemes and morphemes. For instance, systematic shifts such as the merger of Proto-Oceanic *p, *t, *k into fewer consonants in PPn are derived from alignments in languages like Hawaiian, Maori, and Samoan.[5][7] Key scholars have advanced this work through systematic lexical and grammatical analyses. Bruce Biggs initiated the POLLEX project in 1965, creating a foundational comparative dictionary that now includes over 4,700 PPn reconstructions supported by reflexes from more than 60 Polynesian languages and dialects. Andrew Pawley contributed early phonological and syntactic reconstructions in the 1960s and 1970s, emphasizing grammatical structures and cultural vocabulary. Later, Ross Clark expanded POLLEX as its maintainer from the 2000s, refining entries with additional data and cross-references to higher-level proto-languages like Proto-Oceanic.[8][9][2] Data for these reconstructions draw from multiple sources, including comprehensive comparative dictionaries such as POLLEX and the Austronesian Comparative Dictionary, which aggregate lexical items from dictionaries of individual Polynesian languages. Adapted Swadesh lists, often expanded to 200 basic vocabulary items to better suit Oceanic languages, facilitate initial cognate identification and lexicostatistical dating while minimizing borrowing effects. Phonological inventories from over 30 Polynesian languages, including outliers like Niuean and Futunan, provide the empirical basis for sound system reconstruction.[8][10][11] A major challenge in PPn reconstruction is distinguishing inherited forms from irregular borrowings and contact-induced influences, particularly in outlier languages exposed to non-Polynesian substrates during Oceanic dispersal. Limited documentation of some languages, such as certain Central Polynesian outliers, further complicates cognate matching and requires cross-verification with archaeological and cultural evidence to resolve ambiguities.[8]Historical context
Proto-Polynesian (PPn) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Polynesian subgroup within the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian language family, descending directly from Proto-Oceanic (POc), which is estimated to have been spoken around 3000 years before present (BP) by the bearers of the Lapita culture in the Bismarck Archipelago and surrounding regions. POc itself traces back to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian, the immediate descendant of Proto-Austronesian, originating in Taiwan approximately 5000–6000 BP.[12] This lineage reflects the broader Austronesian expansion into Remote Oceania, where POc speakers, equipped with advanced maritime technology, colonized the western Pacific islands starting around 1600 BCE. The time depth of PPn is estimated at 2000–2500 years ago, roughly corresponding to 500 BCE–0 CE, based on glottochronological analyses of core vocabulary divergence and correlations with archaeological evidence of post-Lapita settlements.[2] Glottochronology, despite its limitations in assuming constant lexical replacement rates, has been applied to Polynesian languages to suggest this timeframe, with refinements from comparative linguistics aligning it with the period of cultural consolidation following initial Oceanic dispersals.[13] Archaeological data, including radiocarbon-dated sites in the western Pacific, support this estimate by linking linguistic splits to the cessation of Lapita pottery production around 500 BCE and the emergence of distinct Polynesian material culture.[14] The homeland of PPn speakers is widely accepted to be the Tonga-Samoa region in western Polynesia, where Lapita colonists arrived by approximately 900–800 BCE and underwent a period of relative isolation that fostered the development of uniquely Polynesian traits.[15] This area, often termed the "Polynesian Homeland," served as a staging ground for further voyages, with subsequent dispersals to central and eastern Polynesia occurring in two phases: initial settlement of the Society Islands around 1025–1120 CE, followed by rapid colonization of the remaining islands, including Hawai'i, New Zealand (Aotearoa), and Rapa Nui ([Easter Island](/page/Easter Island)), around 1190–1293 CE.[16] Lexical reconstructions, such as terms for local flora and navigation, reinforce this central-western Pacific origin, distinct from earlier POc speech communities.[17] In terms of subgrouping, PPn is posited to have diverged first into Tongic (including Tongan and Niuean) and Nuclear Polynesian branches, with the latter encompassing Samoan and the Polynesian Outlier languages (e.g., those in Melanesia like Futunan and Emae).[18] Nuclear Polynesian further split into Western (Samoic-Outlier) and Eastern branches, the latter including Tahitic (e.g., Tahitian, Māori) and Marquesic (e.g., Hawaiian, Marquesan) subgroups, reflecting patterns of eastward migration and settlement.[19] This hierarchical structure is supported by shared innovations in phonology and lexicon, such as the merger of certain POc consonants, though the exact timing of these splits remains tied to ongoing archaeological-linguistic correlations.[3]Phonology
Consonants
The reconstructed consonant inventory of Proto-Polynesian consists of 13 phonemes, reflecting a simplification from the more elaborate system of its ancestor, Proto-Oceanic.[20] These consonants are divided into stops, nasals, fricatives, approximants, laterals, and a glottal stop, with phonetic realizations as follows: *p as a lenis unvoiced bilabial stop ; *t as an unvoiced alveolar stop , often palatalized before *i; *k as an unvoiced velar stop ; *m as a bilabial nasal ; *n as an alveolar nasal ; *ŋ as a velar nasal [ŋ]; *f as an unvoiced labiodental or bilabial fricative [ɸ ~ f]; *s as an alveolar fricative ; *h as a glottal fricative ; *w as a labial-velar approximant or voiced bilabial fricative [w ~ β]; *l as an alveolar lateral approximant ; *r as an alveolar trill or flap ; and *q (or *ʔ) as a glottal stop [ʔ].[20]| Place/Manner | Bilabial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stops | *p | *t | *k | *q (*ʔ) |
| Nasals | *m | *n | *ŋ | |
| Fricatives | *f, *w | *s | *h | |
| Laterals | *l | |||
| Trills/Flaps | *r |
Vowels
Proto-Polynesian featured a vowel inventory of five monophthongs: *a (a low central vowel), *e (a mid front vowel), *i (a high front vowel), *o (a mid back vowel), and *u (a high back vowel). Unlike many of its daughter languages, the proto-language lacked a phonemic distinction in vowel length, with any apparent lengthening arising from phonetic processes such as stress placement rather than underlying contrasts. Vowel sequences were permitted in Proto-Polynesian, including diphthongs such as *ai, *au, and *ae, as well as triphthongs in certain lexical items; these sequences frequently underwent contraction or assimilation in descendant languages, often resulting in long vowels or monophthongization. The language exhibited no vowel harmony, with vowels co-occurring freely without restrictions based on features like height or backness. Vowels primarily appeared in open syllables (CV structure), reflecting the overall simple syllable canon of the proto-language, and stress fell predictably on the penultimate syllable, influencing phonetic realization but not phonemic contrasts.[21][20] Allophonic variations among the vowels were minor and context-dependent, such as the realization of *e as [ɛ] or in unstressed positions adjacent to certain consonants, though the system is reconstructed with stable monophthongal qualities overall.[20]Sound changes
The major phonological innovations from Proto-Oceanic (POc) to Proto-Polynesian (PPn) involved significant simplification and lenition of the consonant inventory, reducing the complexity inherited from POc while maintaining a core set of oral stops, nasals, and glides. Prenasalized stops in POc, such as *mb, *nd, *ŋg, *mp, *nt, and *ŋk, simplified to plain voiceless stops in PPn (*mb, *mp > *p; *nd, *nt > *t; *ŋg, *ŋk > *k), a change consistent across the PPn lexicon and reflecting denasalization in non-initial positions.[22] Additionally, POc *p shifted to PPn *f word-initially (e.g., POc *punu 'hit' > PPn *funu), while POc *t became PPn *s before *i (e.g., POc *tiku 'elbow' > PPn *siku), both instances of phonetically motivated fricativization. POc *s lenited to PPn *h (e.g., POc *saqe 'bad' > PPn *hae), and the uvular *R merged with or developed into the glottal stop *q in some environments, further streamlining the system through glottalization and loss of rhotic quality (e.g., the development contributing to forms like PPn *fale 'house' from POc *Rumaq).[22][23][24][25] These changes were largely regular and conditioned by phonetic factors, such as lenition in intervocalic or high-vowel environments, contributing to the notably reduced 13-consonant inventory of PPn compared to POc's approximately 22.[22] From PPn to Proto-Nuclear Polynesian (PNP), most consonants were retained, with *r > *l and *h preserved, though *h was subsequently lost (to zero) in the Samoan subgroup (e.g., PPn *hiku 'tail' > Samoan iku).[26] Further innovations occurred in the Eastern Polynesian (PEP) branch, where PPn *k remained but later glottalized to ʔ in subgroups like Proto-Tahitic (e.g., PPn *kau 'you (plural)' > Tahitian ʔau), and PPn *ŋ simplified to ŋ or zero in certain positions, particularly medially. The loss of *ʔ in Proto-Central Eastern Polynesian led to compensatory vowel lengthening, introducing contrastive vowel length in daughter languages (e.g., PPn *maʔa 'clear' > Māori māa). These developments, again driven by lenition and deletion processes, underscore the progressive simplification in Polynesian phonologies.[26][22]Grammar
Possession
The Proto-Polynesian language featured a distinctive possessive system characterized by two primary markers, *o- and *a-, which encoded semantic distinctions in possession based on control and relational type. The marker *o- was used for inalienable or uncontrolled possessions, typically involving inherent relationships such as body parts (e.g., *mata 'eye' with *o- yielding *o mata 'eye (of someone)'), kin terms denoting superior or uncontrollable relations (e.g., parents or elders), and locations. In contrast, *a- marked alienable or controlled possessions, applying to objects, actions, created items, and kin terms implying subordination or agency (e.g., children or possessions like *fale 'house' with *a-).[27][28][2] Possessive constructions in Proto-Polynesian followed a head-initial structure, with the possessed noun preceding the linker (*o- or *a-) and the possessor noun or pronoun: possessed + linker + possessor. For instance, *fale *a tama reconstructed as 'the child's house' illustrates an *a- construction for an alienable relation where the child exerts control over the house. This syntax allowed for flexible embedding within noun phrases, often preceded by the common article *te, as in *te fale *o tama 'the house of the child' (inalienable sense, e.g., a house intrinsically associated with the child). Direct suffixation was an alternative for certain inalienable kin terms with singular possessors, such as *tama-ku 'my father', bypassing the linker.[28][2] Pronominal possessives integrated the base pronouns with the linkers through fusion, creating suffixed or preposed forms that specified person, number, and class. Singular examples include *o-u (or *o-ku in some reflexes) 'my (inalienable)' and *a-la (or *a-na) 'his/her (alienable)', as in *mata *o-u 'my eye' or *ika *a-la 'his/her fish'. Dual and plural forms extended this pattern, with short variants for preposed positions (e.g., *o-taa 'our (dual, inalienable)') and long variants elsewhere (e.g., *o-taua), drawing from Proto-Polynesian pronoun bases like *maua for dual inclusive. These fused forms could stand elliptically, functioning as independent possessives in predicate contexts.[27][2] This system originated in the Proto-Oceanic locative and genitive constructions, where markers like *na- (general possession) and *ka-/ma- (specific subtypes for food or drink) evolved into the binary *o-/*a- distinction through semantic shifts emphasizing possessor control and specificity. The innovation in Proto-Polynesian simplified the broader Proto-Oceanic classifier inventory while retaining a focus on relational dynamics, influencing all daughter languages.[28][2]Pronouns
The pronominal system of Proto-Polynesian distinguished three persons (first, second, and third), three numbers (singular, dual, and plural), and an inclusive/exclusive opposition in the first-person non-singular forms. This paradigm reflects inheritance from Proto-Oceanic, where the inclusive/exclusive distinction originated as a means to specify whether the addressee was included in the referent group, though Proto-Polynesian simplified certain Proto-Oceanic forms through vowel reductions and loss of some case distinctions.[29][2] The basic reconstructed forms are as follows, with independent pronouns used primarily as subjects or objects and bound variants appearing in clitic or possessive positions:| Number/Person | 1st Exclusive | 1st Inclusive | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | *au | — | *koe | *ia |
| Dual | *maua | *kitaua | *korua | *laua |
| Plural | *maatou | *kiatou | *koutou | *latou |
Numerals
The Proto-Polynesian numeral system was based on a decimal (base-10) structure, reflecting continuity from its Proto-Oceanic ancestor while incorporating innovations specific to the Polynesian subgroup.[30] This system employed distinct roots for the numbers 1 through 9, with 10 formed as a compound, allowing for the construction of higher values through multiplication and addition.| Number | Proto-Polynesian Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | *tasi | Basic unit; widespread reflexes include Samoan tasi and Hawaiian 'ekahi (with innovation).[31] |
| 2 | *rua | Reflexes include Tongan rua and Maori rua.[32] |
| 3 | *tolu | From Proto-Oceanic *tolu; reflexes include Maori toru (with r/l merger).[33] |
| 4 | *fa | Short form; reflexes include Samoan fa and Hawaiian eha. |
| 5 | *lima | Reflexes include Tongan lima and Maori rima. |
| 6 | *ono | Reflexes include Hawaiian ono and Samoan ono. |
| 7 | *fitu | Reflexes include Maori whitu and Tongan fitu. |
| 8 | *walu | Reflexes include Hawaiian walu and Rarotongan varu. |
| 9 | *hiwa | Reflexes include Maori iwa and Hawaiian iwa.[34] |
| 10 | *saŋafulu | Compound of *saŋa (multiplier) and *fulu 'ten'; reflexes include Samoan sefulu.[35] |
