Austronesian language

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. Austronesian languages are spoken by about 386 million people, making it the second-largest language family in terms of number of speakers. Major Austronesian languages include Malay, Indonesian, Filipino, Maori, and Hawaiian.

History

The Austronesian languages are generally considered to have originated in Taiwan. From there, they spread to the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. There is also evidence of Austronesian languages being spoken in mainland Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Cambodia.

Classification

The Austronesian language family is divided into several subfamilies, including the Malayo-Polynesian languages, the Philippine languages, the Polynesian languages, and the Micronesian languages. Each of these subfamilies contains numerous individual languages.

Characteristics

Austronesian languages are known for their complex verb morphology, including the use of affixes to indicate tense, mood, and aspect. Many Austronesian languages also have a system of focus that affects the form of the verb and the case marking of the noun phrase.

Influence

The Austronesian languages have had a significant influence on other language families. For example, the Malay language has had a significant influence on the Chamic languages of Vietnam and Cambodia, and the Javanese language has had a significant influence on the Sundanese language and the Madurese language.

See also

• List of Austronesian languages
• Proto-Austronesian language
• Austronesian peoples