1887
Volume 42, Issue 5
  • ISSN 0176-4225
  • E-ISSN: 1569-9714
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Abstract

Abstract

Models of higher-order Austronesian linguistic relations have traditionally involved the grouping of languages into large higher-order subgroups. In the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup, that tradition has led to the creation of subgroups covering great geographical distances all modeled as descending directly from the Malayo-Polynesian node. This research argues that the evidence for those large subgroups does not stand under scrutiny. Rather, the distribution of innovations throughout the Malayo-Polynesian region suggests that those innovations spread within a large network of dialects. That network, here dubbed the “Late-Malayo-Polynesian” network, replaces discrete higher-level nodes in the classical model of Austronesian linguistic relations.

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2025-07-31
2026-03-10
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Austronesian; language contact; linkages; Malayo-Polynesian; subgrouping
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