| Eastern Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Polynesian islands |
| Genetic classification: |
Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Central-Eastern Central Pacific West Fijian–Polynesian Polynesian Ellicean-Eastern Eastern Polynesian |
| Subdivisions: |
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The dozen Eastern Polynesian languages are found on Pacific Islands from Hawaii in the north, to New Zealand in the southwest, to Easter Island in the southeast. Included in this group of Polynesian languages are Hawaiian, Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Tahitian, Māori, and Rapa Nui.
The two most important languages of the group by number of speakers are Tahitian and Māori; Tahitian is the main language of the Society Islands, and is used as a lingua franca throughout much of French Polynesia, while Māori is spoken by a sizable minority in New Zealand, where it shares official status with English. Hawaiian is spoken by few people, but has official status in the State of Hawaii.
An exclusive relationship between the languages is fully supported by an analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database (2008).[1] However, the database does not support the traditional clades[2] of Marquesic and Tahitic languages within Eastern Polynesian: The Marquesan and Mangarevan languages are only linked with an 80% probability, whereas Hawaiian, traditionally also considered Marquesic, is shown to be Tahitic. (Hawaii was settled originally from the Marquesas, and later from Tahiti, which may have confounded the analysis.) Rapa Nui, traditionally considered the most divergent Eastern Polynesian language, is fully supported as a member, even weakly linked (53%) with the Marquesic languages.
The erstwhile Marquesic Pukapukan language, spoken in Puka-Puka and the Disappointment Islands in northeastern Tuamotu and the ungrouped Rapan language, spoken on Rapa Iti in the Austral Islands, were not included in the database.
| Eastern Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: | Polynesian islands |
| Genetic classification: | Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Central-Eastern Central Pacific West Fijian–Polynesian Polynesian Ellicean-Eastern Eastern Polynesian |
| Subdivisions: |
Marquesic
Tahitic
|
The dozen Eastern Polynesian languages are found on Pacific Islands from Hawaii in the north, to New Zealand in the southwest, to Easter Island in the southeast. Included in this group of Polynesian languages are Hawaiian, Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Tahitian, Māori, and Rapa Nui.
The two most important languages of the group by number of speakers are Tahitian and Māori; Tahitian is the main language of the Society Islands, and is used as a lingua franca throughout much of French Polynesia, while Māori is spoken by a sizable minority in New Zealand, where it shares official status with English and New Zealand Sign Language . Hawaiian is spoken by few people, but has official status in the State of Hawaii.
An exclusive relationship between the languages is fully supported by an analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database (2008).[1] However, the database does not support the traditional clades[2] of Marquesic and Tahitic languages within Eastern Polynesian on the phylogenetic tree: The Marquesan and Mangarevan languages are only linked with an 81% probability, whereas Hawaiian, traditionally also considered Marquesic, is shown to be Tahitic. (Hawaii was settled originally from the Marquesas, and later from Tahiti, which may have confounded the analysis.) Rapa Nui, the native language of Easter Island, traditionally considered the most divergent Eastern Polynesian language, is fully supported as a member, even weakly linked (53%) with the Marquesic languages.[3]
The erstwhile Marquesic Pukapukan language, spoken in Puka-Puka and the Disappointment Islands in northeastern Tuamotu and the ungrouped Rapan language, spoken on Rapa Iti in the Austral Islands, were not included in the database.
The Classification Search of the database, however, places Northern and Southern Marquesan (including the Nuku Hiva dialect), Mangarevan, and Hawaiian within one subgroup of Eastern Polynesian; Rapa Nui is also placed within its own subgroup. The database seems to recognize an alternative to the Tree Figure classifications:
According to Elbert and Pukui (1979), Hawaiian is primarily Marquesan with several Tahitian loan words.[4] Kimura and Wilson (1983) state, "Linguists agree that Hawaiian is closely related to Eastern Polynesia, with a particularly strong link in the Southern Marquesas, and a secondary link in Tahiti, which may be explained by voyaging between the Hawaiian and Society Islands."[5]
Dialectical differences in Hawaiian are rather minor compared to that of New Zealand Māori and Marquesan, which display a number of dialectical differences.[6] This may be do to the fact that ancient Hawaiian society lacked "stable groupings" of people (e.g. tribes, clans, etc.) in the traditional political system. The Māori, for example, are separated in large social units called Iwi, inhabiting areas across both the North and South islands of New Zealand.
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