| Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
East Indonesia and Pacific Islands |
| Linguistic classification: | Austronesian
|
| Subdivisions: |
Core Central–Eastern MP
|
The Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian (CEMP) languages form a putative branch of the Nuclear Malayo-Polynesian languages consisting of over 700 languages. The relationship is moderately supported by linguistic data: analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database (2008)[1] gives the proposal a confidence level of 80%. In fact, if Chamorro and Palauan are included, the confidence rises to 85%.[2]
However, Mark Donahue does not see CEMP as being particularly convincing, and suspects that it is a Sprachbund based on a non-Austronesian substrate.[3]
The traditional division of CEMP is into Central Malayo-Polynesian and Eastern Malayo-Polynesian. However, Central MP has never been demonstrated to be a valid clade, and Eastern MP is only poorly supported.
In the 2008 analysis, CEMP was supported at an 80% confidence level. The Sumba–Flores languages appear to be the most divergent; the rest of the languages (core CEMP) are supported as a unit at 82%. The results are as follows. (Branches without a percentage were supported by at least 90%.)
| Greater CEMP (85%) |
|
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The West Damar language and the closely related Teor–Kur languages, conventionally placed in Central MP, were not included in the 2008 study.