II.

Classification

The Austronesian languages are divided into two branches: Malayo-Polynesian (1,239 languages) and Formosan (23 languages). The Formosan languages are the Aboriginal languages of Taiwan (seven of which are now extinct) and include Amis, Tsou, and Paiwan. By far the largest sub-group, the Malayo-Polynesian languages are further split into three branches: Central-Eastern, Western Malayo-Polynesian, and two Unclassified languages. Within the Central-Eastern branch are: Central Malayo-Polynesian languages, including many languages spoken in Indonesia and Timor; and Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages, which includes the Oceanic and Halmahera-West New Guinea languages. The more than 500 languages of the Western Malayo-Polynesian (Indonesian) branch are spoken by people in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Malagasy, and parts of Vietnam and Taiwan. They include widely spoken languages such as Javanese, Malay, and Indonesian.

The Oceanic branch consists of about 500 languages spoken by people on islands throughout the Pacific Ocean (the area classed as Oceania). These languages fall into the following three groups: Admiralty Islands; Central-Eastern Oceanic; and Western Oceanic. The 31 Admiralty Islands languages are all spoken in Papua New Guinea, and include Kuanua and Halia.

The over 200 Central-Eastern languages are spoken in the Solomon Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu (among others). This sub-group includes a branch of 20 Micronesian languages, spoken in Micronesia. Well-known Central-Eastern Oceanic languages include Samoan, Tongan, Tahitian, Maori (spoken in New Zealand), and Hawaiian. They are remarkably uniform in grammar and phonology (but not vocabulary) and have rich vowel systems and few consonants. Their oral literature is extensive.

The 237 Western Oceanic languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Indonesia. Extremely diverse, they constitute a geographical group rather than one based on linguistic traits. Many of these languages show striking changes from the hypothetical Proto-Oceanic language. Those of New Guinea were influenced by the non-Austronesian Papuan languages, which has caused their grammatical structure to become more complex.