Malayo-Polynesian languages

The Malayo-Polynesian languages are by far the most important and speaker-rich subgroup of the Austronesian languages . They cover around 1100 languages with nearly 300 million speakers. They are widespread across the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific , only a few members of this language family are spoken in mainland Asia . The Malagasy spoken in Madagascar is geographically far removed from the rest, the language of Easter Island ( Rapanui ) represents the eastern extreme. Malayo-Polynesian is divided into two main groups, West-Malayo-Polynesian and Central-East-Malayo- Polynesian. Only the latter branch represents a subgroup defined by jointly inherited innovations, whereas the western branch most likely consists of several subgroups of equal rank and is therefore paraphyletic.

Characteristic of the Malayo-Polynesian languages are the tendency towards productive reduplication (repetition of parts of words or whole words), the lack of consonant clusters , and the low number of vowels in the phoneme system (usually five).

The over 1100 Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by around 300 million speakers in the Philippines , Malaysia , Indonesia , East Timor , Papua New Guinea , Oceania and Madagascar . They are divided into two main branches:

West Malayo Polynesian: 445 languages, 284 million speakers; Philippines , Indonesia , Malaysia , Madagascar and
Central-East Malayo Polynesian: 680 languages, 7.5 million speakers; Moluccas , Timor , Flores , spoken in New Guinea and Oceania - It breaks down into two main branches:
- Central Malayo Polynesian: 151 languages, 4.5 million speakers; bespokenin the Moluccas, Timor, Flores, Sumba and West New Guinea. Tetum is an official language of East Timor. Other languages are the national languages of East Timor and
- East Malayo Polynesian: 527 languages, 2.8 million speakers spoken in New Guinea, Melanesia , Micronesia, and Polynesia .

For the migration movements of the speakers of Malayo-Polynesian languages into their current settlement areas, see Austronesian languages .

Classification and distribution areas of the Malayo-Polynesian languages

This section presents the internal structure (classification) of Malayo Polynesian in detail. In addition, the number of languages, the current number of speakers and the distribution areas of the individual branches and sub-branches are given.

The western Malayo-Polynesian languages and their subgroups

West Malayo Polynesian
1. Philippines (132 languages, 68 million speakers; Philippines, Sangir , North Sulawesi )
  1. Northern Philippines (45 languages, 13 million speakers; Bashi , Northern Luzon , Central Luzon , Northern Mindoro )
  2. Meso-Philippines (46 languages, 49 million speakers; Central Philippines, South Mangyan , Palawan , Kalamian )
  3. South Philippines (21 languages, 2.6 million speakers; Manobo , Danao , Subanun )
  4. South Mindanao (4 languages, 4,000 speakers; South Mindanao )
  5. Sangir languages (6 languages, 600,000 speakers; North Sulawesi)
  6. Minahasa languages (3 languages, 250,000 speakers; North Sulawesi)
  7. Gorontalo-Mongondow languages (7 languages, 2.2 million speakers; North and Northeast Sulawesi): Gorontalo , Mongondow
2. Chamorro , Palau (one language each, together 100,000 speakers; Guam , Palau )
3. Sama-Bajaw (8 languages, 500,000 speakers; Sulu , Sulawesi and Floresee )
4. Malayo-Sumbawa (77 languages, 107 million speakers; Malaysia , Indonesia: Sumatra , Java , Madura , Bali and others)
  1. Malay (60 languages, 60 million speakers; Malaysia, Indonesia)
  2. Aceh-Chamisch (8 languages, 3.9 million speakers; China: Hainan ; Vietnam , Cambodia / Indonesia: North Sumatra)
  3. Embaloh-Taman (2 languages, 15,000 speakers; Central Borneo ( Kalimantan ))
  4. Sundanese (2 languages, 27 million speakers; Sunda)
  5. Madurese (2 languages, 10 million speakers; Madura)
  6. Bali-Sasak-Sumbawa languages (3 languages, 6.3 million speakers; Balinese , Sasak , Sumbawa )
5. Javanese (3 languages, 76 million speakers; Java)
6. Northwest Sumatra (11 languages, 6.7 million speakers; Northwest Sumatra, Barrier Islands)
  1. Barrier Islands (5 languages, 670,000 speakers; Simeulue , Nias , Mentawai , Enggano )
  2. Batak (5 languages, 5.9 million speakers; Northwest Sumatra: Batak Land)
  3. Gayo (1 language, 180,000 speakers; North Sumatra (Takengon, Genteng, Lokon))
7. Lampung (7 languages, 3.5 million speakers; southern tip of Sumatra)
8. Rejang (1 language, 1 million speakers; Southwest Sumatra)
9. Moken -Moklen (2 languages, 9,000 speakers; South Burma , South Thailand (west coast, islands))
10. North Borneo (60 languages, 600,000 speakers; Northwest Borneo: Sabah, North Sarawak)
  1. Sabah (36 languages, 500,000 speakers; Northwest Borneo: Sabah)
  2. North Sarawak (24 languages, 100,000 speakers; Northwest Borneo: North Sarawak)
11. Kayan-Murik (16 languages, 40,000 speakers; Central Borneo: Kalimantan, also Sarawak)
12. Land Dayak languages (12 languages, 450,000 speakers; South Sarawak)
13. East Barito Malagasy (7 languages, 14.3 million speakers; south-eastern tip of Borneo / Madagascar )
14. Barito-Mahakam (18 languages, 170,000 speakers; Southeast Borneo (Kalimantan) (north of East Barito))
15. Western Barito (6 languages, 520,000 speakers; Central-South Borneo (Kalimantan)): Ngaju
16. Muna-Buton languages (11 languages, 530,000 speakers; Southeast Sulawesi: Cia-Cia , Muna , Tukangbesi )
17. Wotu-Wolio languages (5 languages, 45,000 speakers; Southeast Sulawesi: Wolio , Wotu )
18. Bungku Tolaki Languages (16 languages, 420,000 speakers; Southeast Sulawesi): Tolaki , Bungku
19. Saluan-Banggai languages (5 languages, 200,000 speakers; eastern central Sulawesi, Banggai , Saluan )
20. Tomini-Tolitoli languages (6 languages, 180,000 speakers; western North Sulawesi): Tomini , Tolitoli
21. Kaili-Pamona languages (12 languages, 460,000 speakers; north-western central Sulawesi: Kaili , Pamona )
22. South Sulawesi (27 languages, 7 million speakers; South and West-Central Sulawesi)
Central-East Malayo Polynesian
1. Central Malayo Polynesian
  1. North Bomberai (four languages, 2,000 speakers; Irian Jaya: northern Bomberai Peninsula )
  2. South Bomberai (one language, 600 speakers; Irian Jaya: southern Bomberai Peninsula)
  3. Central Moluccas (52 languages, 330,000 speakers; Banda, Seram, Ambon , Sula)
  4. Teor cure (two languages, 4,000 speakers; Teor , cure )
  5. Aru (13 languages, 50,000 speakers; Aru Islands )
  6. Southeast Moluccas (5 languages, 180,000 speakers; Kai , Fordata , Yamdena , Tanimbar )
  7. Babar (9 languages, 10,000 speakers; Babar )
  8. Timor-Flores (41 languages, 2 million speakers; Timor , Roti , Alor , Wetar , Flores ): Tetum , Uab Meto , Manggarai , Kambera , Lewotobi and others.
  9. Bima-Sumba (24 languages, 1.9 million speakers; Sumba, Sumbawa): Bima
2. East Malayo Polynesian
  1. South Halmahera West New Guinea (SHWNG Group) (39 languages, 135,000 speakers; South Halmahera , West New Guinea)
    1. South Halmahera (6 languages, 50,000 speakers; South Halmahera)
    2. Western New Guinea (33 languages, 85,000 speakers; Western New Guinea)
  2. Oceanic (489 languages, 2.7 million speakers; Oceania: Micronesian , Melanesian , Polynesian )
    1. Admiralty Islands (32 languages including Yapese , 30,000 speakers; Admiralty Islands , Yap )
    2. West Oceanic (231 languages, 770,000 speakers; North, East and Central New Guinea, Meso-Melanesia)
      1. Northern New Guinea (102 languages, 210,000 speakers; Northern New Guinea)
      2. East-Central Papua New Guinea (62 languages, 240,000 speakers)
      3. Meso-Melanesian (67 languages, 320,000 speakers; Meso-Melanesia: Vitu , Unea , New Britain , New Ireland , Northwest Solomon Islands )
    3. Central-East Oceanic (226 languages, 2 million speakers)
      1. Southeast Solomon Islands (26 languages, 220,000 speakers)
      2. Santa Cruz (6 languages, 1,200 speakers)
      3. North-Central Vanuatu (90 languages, 80,000 speakers)
      4. South Vanuatu (8 languages, 18,000 speakers)
      5. New Caledonia (30 languages, 33,000 speakers)
      6. Loyalty Islands (3 languages, 23,000 speakers)
      7. Micronesian (20 languages, 220,000 speakers; Micronesia: Ikiribati , Kosrae , Marshall Islands , Ponape , Truk , Nauru )
      8. Central Pacific (43 languages, 1.3 million speakers; Fiji , Polynesia)
        
        West Fiji Rotuma (3 languages, 70,000 speakers; West Fiji, Rotuma)
        
        East Fiji (4 languages, 365,000 speakers)
        
        Polynesian (36 languages, 900,000 speakers)
        
        Tonga-Niue (2 languages, 130,000 speakers; Tonga , Niue )
        
        Nuclear Polynesian
        
        Samoa Group (22 languages, 500,000 speakers; Samoa , Wallis , Tuvalu , Futuna , Pukapuka , Tokelau )
        
        East Polynesian (12 languages, 270,000 speakers; Hawaii , Mangareva , Marquesas , Tahiti , Rarotonga , Tuamotu , Rakahanga , New Zealand ( Maori ), Easter Island ( Rapanui ) and others)

Malayo-Polynesian million languages

There are around 30 Malayo-Polynesian languages with at least one million speakers, 10 of which are spoken in the Philippines, 18 in Malaysia and Indonesia, and one in Madagascar. In the following table, in addition to the number of speakers (native speakers), the Malayo-Polynesian subfamily to which the language belongs, and also the area of distribution, if it is not evident from the name of the subgroup. "S2" includes the number of native speakers and second speakers of this language. The table is arranged geographically.

language	Number of speakers	Subgroup (distribution area)
Ilokano	8 million	North Philippines
Pangasinán	1.2 million	North Philippines
Pampangan	2 million	North Philippines
Filipino / Tagalog	28 million, S2 45 million	Meso Philippines
Cebuano	10 million, S2 18 million	Meso Philippines
Bicol	2.5 million	Meso Philippines
Waray-Waray (Samar-Leyte)	2.5 million	Meso Philippines
Hiligaynon	7 million	Meso Philippines
Magindanao	1 million	South Philippines
Mongondow	1 million	Gorontalo-Mongondow (North Sulawesi)
Gorontalo	1 million	Gorantalo-Mongondow (North Sulawesi)
Makassar language	1.6 million	South Sulawesi
Buginese	3.6 million	South Sulawesi
Bahasa Malaysia	10 million, S2 20 million	Malay (Malaysia)
Bahasa Indonesia	30 million, S2 170 million	Malay (Indonesia)
Pattani (Thai Malay)	3 million	Malay (Thailand)
Banjarese (Borneo Malay)	3 million	Malay (Borneo)
Sulawesi Malay	1-2 million	Malay (Sulawesi)
Minangkabau	6.5 million	Para-Malay (Sumatra)
Achinese	3 million	Cham-Achin (Sumatra)
Sundanese	27 million	Sunda
Madurese	10 million	Madura
Balinese	4 million	Bali-Sasak-Sumbawa (Bali - Lombok)
Sasak	2 million	Bali-Sasak-Sumbawa (Lombok)
Javanese	75 million	Java
Batak Toba	3.2 million	Batak (Northwest Sumatra)
Batak Dairi	1.2 million	Batak (Northwest Sumatra)
Malagasy	14 million	Eastern Barito (Madagascar)
Tetum	1.1 million (S2), 950,000	Timor

All other Malayo-Polynesian languages have fewer than a million speakers. The oceanic languages in particular are often very "small" and have fewer than 1000 speakers. A complete overview of all Austronesian languages with their classification within Austronesian can also be found in Ernst Kausen.

Individual evidence

↑ K. Alexander Adelaar & Nikolaus Himmelmann. 2005. The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar: A historical perspective, pp. 1-42, London, Routledge
↑ ^a ^b Ernst Kausen, classification (see web link)

literature

Ernst Kausen : The language families of the world. Part 2: Africa - Indo-Pacific - Australia - America. Buske, Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-87548-656-8 , pp. 512-583.

Web links

Wiktionary: Malayo-Polynesian language - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

[1] K. Alexander Adelaar & Nikolaus Himmelmann. 2005. The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar: A historical perspective, pp. 1-42, London, Routledge

[Kausen-2] Ernst Kausen, classification (see web link)