Polynesian languages

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polynesian languages

group of about 30 languages belonging to the Eastern, or Oceanic, branch of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family and most closely related to the languages of Micronesia and Melanesia. Spoken by fewer than 1,000,000 persons spread across a large section of the Pacific Ocean, the Polynesian languages show a relative homogeneity, indicating that they have dispersed only in the last 2,500 years from an original centre in the Tonga-Samoa area.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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