Nuclear Polynesian languages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nuclear Polynesian
Geographic
distribution:
Polynesia
Genetic
classification
:
Austronesian
 Malayo-Polynesian (MP)
  Nuclear MP
   Central-Eastern MP
    Eastern MP
     Oceanic
      Central-Eastern
       Central Pacific
        East Fijian-Polynesian
         Polynesian
          Nuclear Polynesian
Subdivisions:


Major subgroups of Polynesian

Nuclear Polynesian refers to those languages comprising the Samoic and the Eastern Polynesian branches of the Polynesian group of Austronesian languages.

The Eastern Polynesian group comprises two major subgroups: Rapa Nui, spoken on Easter Island, and Central Eastern, which is itself composed of Rapan, and the Marquesic and Tahitic languages.

Nuclear Polynesian is differentiated, among Polynesian languages, by its distinguishing characteristics from the Tongic languages spoken in most of Tonga and in Niue.

[edit] Components

Eastern Polynesian

Samoic