Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language

The following consonants can be reconstructed for Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (Blust 2009):{{cite book|last1=Blust|first1=Robert|authorlink1=Robert Blust|title=The Austronesian languages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYspAQAAIAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University|isbn=978-0-85883-602-0}}

The phonetic value of the reconstructed sounds *p, *b, *w, *m, *t, *d, *n, *s, *l, *r, *k, *g, *ŋ, *q, *h was as indicated by the spelling. The symbols *ñ, *y, *z, *D, *j, *R are orthographic conventions first introduced by Dyen (1947).Dyen, Isidore. (1951). Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *Z. Language, 27(4), 534–540. The assumed phonetic values are given in the table.

This consonant system is quite similar to the ancestral Proto-Austronesian (PAN) system, but is characterized by three mergers:

• PAN *t/*C > PMP *t
• PAN *l/*N > PMP *l
• PAN *h/*S > PMP *h

The Proto-Austronesian vowels *a, *i, *u, *e (*e representing /ə/) and final diphthongs *ay, *aw, *uy, *iw remained unchanged.

In a study from 2016, Roger BlenchBlench, Roger. 2016. [https://www.academia.edu/11777678/The_boiling_pot_4000_years_ago_in_the_Luzon_straits The boiling pot: 4000 years ago in the Luzon straits]. has raised doubts that there was actually a single unitary Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language. Rather, Malayo-Polynesian expansion across the Luzon Strait consisted of multi-ethnic crews rapidly settling across various locations in maritime Southeast Asia, as suggested by both archaeological and linguistic evidence. There was also a Malayo-Polynesian migration to Hainan; Blench (2016) notes that both Hlai and Austronesian peoples use the foot-braced backstrap loom as well.

Below are selected animal and plant names in Proto-Malayo-Polynesian from the Austronesian Comparative Dictionary.{{cite web |title=Austronesian Comparative Dictionary, web edition |first1=Robert |last1=Blust |first2=Stephen |last2=Trussel |url=https://www.trussel2.com/acd/acd-pl_pmp.htm |date=April 25, 2020 |access-date=May 1, 2020}}

• Proto-Austronesian language
• Proto-Philippine language
• Proto-Oceanic language
• Proto-Polynesian language

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• {{cite book |last=Adelaar |first=Alexander |last2=Schapper |first2=Antoinette |title=The Oxford Guide to the Malayo-Polynesian Languages of Southeast Asia |publisher=Oxford University Press |publication-place=Oxford |date=2024 |isbn=978-0-19-880735-3 |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/58197/}}
• {{cite journal |last=Blust |first=Robert |title=Proto-Western Malayo-Polynesian vocatives |journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |volume=135 |issue=2 |date=1979 |pages=205–251 |doi=10.1163/22134379-90002556 |jstor=27863237|doi-access=free }} Accessed: 27 Dec. 2022.
• {{cite journal |last=Blust |first=Robert |title=The Challenge of Semantic Reconstruction: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *suku 'Lineage; Quarter'? |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |volume=56 |issue=1 |date=2017 |pages=247–56 |doi=10.1353/ol.2017.0010 |jstor=26408531}} Accessed 26 Dec. 2022.
• {{cite journal |last=Blust |first=Robert |title=The Challenge of Semantic Reconstruction 2: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kamaliR 'Men's House' |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |volume=57 |issue=2 |date=2018 |pages=335–358 |doi=10.1353/ol.2018.0015 |jstor=26779837}} Accessed 26 Dec. 2022.
• {{cite journal |last=Blust |first=Robert |title=The Challenge of Semantic Reconstruction 3: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *guntiŋ 'scissors'? |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |volume=61 |issue=1 |date=2021 |doi=10.1353/ol.2021.0024}}
• {{cite book |last=Dyen |first=Isidore |title=The Proto-Malayo-Polynesian Laryngeals |publisher=Linguistic Society of America |date=1953 |doi=10.2307/j.ctt1x76d60}} Accessed 27 Dec. 2022.
• {{cite journal |last=Haudricourt |first= André-G. |title=Origines asiatiques des langues malayo-polynésiennes |journal=Journal de la Société des océanistes |volume=10 |date=1954 |issue= 10 |pages=180–183 |doi=10.3406/jso.1954.1831 |language=French}}
• Reid, Lawrence. "[http://hdl.handle.net/10125/33039 The Reconstruction of a Dual Pronoun to Proto Malayo-Polynesian]". In: Discovering History Through Language. Papers in Honour of Malcolm Ross. edited by Bethwyn Evans. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, 2009. pp. 461–477.

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130426145530/http://language.psy.auckland.ac.nz/austronesian/language.php?id=269 ABVD: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/19991011025952/http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/8908/firemount/austroframes.html A Comparison of Austronesian Languages-WebCite query result]

{{Austronesian languages}}

Category:Austronesian languages

Malayo-Polynesian