Oceanic languages
Information about Oceanic languages
| Oceanic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia | |
| Genetic classification: |
}} | |
| Subdivisions: | ||
The Oceanic languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, containing approximately 450 languages. The area occupied by speakers of these languages includes Polynesia as well as much of Melanesia and Micronesia.
Despite covering such a vast area, Oceanic languages are spoken by less than two million people. The largest individual Oceanic languages are Samoan and Eastern Fijian, with over 300,000 speakers. Kiribati (Gilbertese), Tongan, and perhaps Kuanua (Tolai) have 100,000 speakers apiece.
The common ancestor which is reconstructed for this group of languages is called Proto Oceanic (abbr. POc).
Classification
- St Matthias
- Yapese (possibly an Admiralty Islands language)
- Admiralties
- Western Admiralties
- Eastern Admiralties
- Western Oceanic linkage (languages of the north coast of New Guinea, from Jayapura to the Solomon Islands)
- Sarmi-Jayapura Bay
- North New Guinea cluster
- Papuan Tip cluster
- Meso-Melanesian cluster (languages of the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands)
- Central-Eastern Oceanic (languages of the open Pacific)
- Southeast Solomons
- Utupua-Vanikoro (may be two branches, Utupua and Vanikoro)
- Southern Oceanic linkage (languages of New Caledonia and Vanuatu)
- Central Pacific linkage (Polynesian and the languages of Fiji)
- Micronesian
References
- Lynch, John, Malcolm Ross & Terry Crowley. (2002). The Oceanic languages. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press.
Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia.
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Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός) (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος) (meaning island), is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean.
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Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.
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A language family is a group of languages related by descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language. As with biological families, the evidence of relationship is observable shared characteristics.
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St. Matthias languages is a subgroup of the Oceanic languages. It consists of 2 languages, Mussau-Emira and Tenis.
As the St. Matthias languages are probably a first order subgroup of the Oceanic languages, they are considered very important in the study of Oceanic languages.
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As the St. Matthias languages are probably a first order subgroup of the Oceanic languages, they are considered very important in the study of Oceanic languages.
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Yapese is a language spoken by 6,600 people on the island of Yap (Federated States of Micronesia).
It belongs to the Austronesian languages, more specifically to the Oceanic languages.
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It belongs to the Austronesian languages, more specifically to the Oceanic languages.
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Admiralty Island languages is a subgroup of the Oceanic languages. It consists of 31 languages.
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Components
- Eastern Admiralty Island languages
- Manus languages
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Western Oceanic languages is a subgroup of the Oceanic languages. It consists of over 200 languages.
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Components
- North New Guinea languages
- Huon Gulf languages
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Central-Eastern Oceanic languages form a branch of the Oceanic language family within the Austronesian languages.
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Components
Traditional classifications have posited a Remote Oceanic branch within this family, but this was abandoned in Lynch et al...... Click the link for more information.
Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. It is on par with Indo-European, Afro-Asiatic and Uralic as one of the best-established ancient language families.
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Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.
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Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia.
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Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός) (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος) (meaning island), is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean.
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The Sāmoan or Samoan language is the traditional language of Samoa and American Samoa and is an official language — alongside English — in both jurisdictions.
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Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 350,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language.
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Gilbertese or Kiribati (sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both) is a language from the Austronesian family, part of the Oceanian branch and of the Nuclear Micronesian subbranch. It is a verb object subject language.
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Tongan}}}
Official status
Official language of: Tonga
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: to
ISO 639-2: ton
ISO 639-3: ton
Tongan (lea fakatonga
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Official status
Official language of: Tonga
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: to
ISO 639-2: ton
ISO 639-3: ton
Tongan (lea fakatonga
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Kuanua is spoken by the Tolai people of Papua New Guinea, who live on the Gazelle Peninsula in East New Britain Province. (This language is often referred to in the literature as Tolai. However, Tolai is actually the name of the cultural group.
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For the primitive form of communication, see .
A proto-language is a language which was the common ancestor of related languages that form a language family...... Click the link for more information.
Proto-Oceanic (abbr. POc) is a protolanguage, which language comparatists – particularly after Otto Dempwolff's works – have proposed to reconstruct as the probable common ancestor to the group of Oceanic languages.
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St. Matthias languages is a subgroup of the Oceanic languages. It consists of 2 languages, Mussau-Emira and Tenis.
As the St. Matthias languages are probably a first order subgroup of the Oceanic languages, they are considered very important in the study of Oceanic languages.
..... Click the link for more information.
As the St. Matthias languages are probably a first order subgroup of the Oceanic languages, they are considered very important in the study of Oceanic languages.
..... Click the link for more information.
Yapese is a language spoken by 6,600 people on the island of Yap (Federated States of Micronesia).
It belongs to the Austronesian languages, more specifically to the Oceanic languages.
..... Click the link for more information.
It belongs to the Austronesian languages, more specifically to the Oceanic languages.
..... Click the link for more information.
Admiralty Island languages is a subgroup of the Oceanic languages. It consists of 31 languages.
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Components
- Eastern Admiralty Island languages
- Manus languages
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Western Admiralty Island languages is a subgroup of the Admiralty Island languages. It consists of 3 languages, Kaniet, Seimat and Wuvulu-Aua.
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Eastern Admiralty Island languages is a subgroup of the Admiralty Island languages. It consists of 28 languages.
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Components
- Manus languages
- East Manus languages
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Western Oceanic languages is a subgroup of the Oceanic languages. It consists of over 200 languages.
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Components
- North New Guinea languages
- Huon Gulf languages
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Jayapura City (Indonesian: Kota Jayapura) is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. The approximate population in 2002 was 200,000.
The city is situated on a bay called Teluk Yos Sudarso (formerly known as Humboldt Bay).
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The city is situated on a bay called Teluk Yos Sudarso (formerly known as Humboldt Bay).
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Motto
"To Lead is to Serve"
Anthem
God Save Our Solomon Islands
Royal anthem
God Save the Queen
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"To Lead is to Serve"
Anthem
God Save Our Solomon Islands
Royal anthem
God Save the Queen
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Sarmi-Jayapura Bay languages is a branch of the North New Guinea languages. It consists of 13 languages spoken in Irian Jaya, Indonesia.
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Components
- Jayapura Bay languages
- Kayupulau
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North New Guinea languages of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia is a branch of the Western Oceanic languages. It consists of over 100 languages.
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Components
- Huon Gulf languages
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