Polynesian languages

Polynesian languages are a branch of the Austronesian language family spoken across Polynesia and neighboring parts of the Pacific. They share historical roots and features shaped by centuries of contact, migration, and change.

Austronesian languages: A language family whose branches are spoken across Island Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and much of the Pacific. Polynesian languages form one branch of this larger family.
Māori language: An Eastern Polynesian language indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori is a major Polynesian language with an active revitalization movement.
Polynesian subgrouping: The classification of Polynesian languages into branches based on shared innovations and historical relationships. Subgrouping maps the linguistic history behind the branch's geographic spread.
Micronesian languages: Austronesian languages spoken across Micronesia, a Pacific region north of Polynesia. They are Pacific relatives but belong to branches outside Polynesian.
Proto-Polynesian: The reconstructed ancestral language from which the Polynesian languages descended. Its reconstruction reveals features inherited across the branch.
Hawaiian language: An Eastern Polynesian language indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian illustrates the pressures of language shift and organized revitalization.
Polynesian languages homeland: The proposed ancestral homeland from which the Polynesian language community expanded into the Pacific. Linguistic evidence helps locate the ancestral community before eastward expansion.
Melanesian languages: Languages spoken across Melanesia, including both Austronesian and non-Austronesian families. The label covers neighboring languages with diverse histories, not a single Polynesian subgroup.
Polynesian languages phonology: The sound systems and sound patterns shared or varied among Polynesian languages. Sound inventories help show both their common patterns and their differences.
Samoan language: A Samoic language spoken chiefly in Samoa and American Samoa. Samoan is among the branch's widely spoken languages.

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