Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language explained

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, which is by far the largest branch (by current speakers) of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian is ancestral to all Austronesian languages spoken outside Taiwan, as well as the Yami language on Taiwan's Orchid Island. The first systematic reconstruction of Proto-Austronesian ("Uraustronesisch") by Otto Dempwolff was based on evidence from languages outside of Taiwan, and was therefore actually the first reconstruction of what is now known as Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.^[1]

Phonology

Consonants

The following consonants can be reconstructed for Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (Blust 2009):^[2]

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Retroflex	Palatalized velar	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Voiceless obstruent	p	t	c /c͡ç/			k	q
Voiced obstruent	b	d	z /ɟ͡ʝ/	D /ɖ/	j /ɡʲ/	g
Nasal	m	n	ñ /ɲ/			ŋ
Fricative		s						h
Lateral		l
Tap or trill		r					R /ʀ/
Approximant	w		y /j/

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).^[3] 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

Vowels

The Proto-Austronesian vowels *a, *i, *u, *e (*e representing /ə/) and final diphthongs *ay, *aw, *uy, *iw remained unchanged.^[2]

Alternative views

In a study from 2016, Roger Blench^[4] 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.

Lexicon

Below are selected animal and plant names in Proto-Malayo-Polynesian from the Austronesian Comparative Dictionary.^[5]

Animal names

Fish names! No. !! Reconstruction levels !! Common name !! Scientific name !! Proto-Malayo-Polynesian

710	PMP	a dove	Ducula spp.?	*baluj
2201	PMP	a fish	Scomberoides sp.	*daRi
9215	PMP		Caesionidae sp.	*sulig
8519	PMP		Epinephelus spp.	*kuRapu
4366	PMP		Trachiurops crumenophthalmus	*qatulay
251	PMP	a fruit-bearing plant	Pisonia umbellifera	*añuliŋ
1532	PMP		Megalops cyprinoides	*bulan-bulan₁
1636	PMP		Platax spp.	*buna
1635	PMP	batfish	Platax spp.	*bunaR
4379	PMP	fish sp.: mullet sp.	Neomyxus chaptalli	*qawas
4380	PMP		Chanos chanos	*qawa₁
4378	PMP	fish sp.: the milkfish	Chanos chanos	*qawan
2095	PMP			*tiqaw₂
9513	PMP		Aprion virescens	*qutun
3187	PMP		Epinephelus spp.	*keRteŋ
9509	PMP		Istiophorus spp.	*saku₂
5519	PMP		Diodon sp.	*taRutuŋ
9141	PMP		Scomberomorini spp.	*taŋiRi
5516	PMP		Holocentrus spp.	*taRaqan
3168	PMP	suckerfish, remora; hold on by biting	Echeneis naucrates	*kemi
2492	PMP	suckerfish, remora; hold on by biting	Echeneis naucrates	*gemi
11354	PMP		Acanthurus spp.	*qapaliR
11354	PMP	surgeonfish	Acanthurus spp.	*qapaliR
10662	PMP		Acanthurus unicornis	*taRaq₂
4703	PMP	unicorn fish	Naso spp.	*qumi
4699	PMP	unicorn fish	Naso spp.	*qumay

Other animal names! No. !! Reconstruction levels !! Common name !! Scientific name !! Proto-Malayo-Polynesian

7001	PMP		Chelonia mydas	peñu
9539	PMP		Halcyon spp.	sikek
6845	PAN, PMP, PWMP		Macaca cyclopis	luCuŋ
3809	PMP		Pteropus spp.	paniki
9052	PMP			musaŋ
7811	PMP		Tridacna gigas	kima
4842	PMP		Lambis lambis	Raŋa
8637	PMP	the spider conch	Lambis lambis	Raŋak
8638	PMP	the spider conch	Lambis lambis	RaŋaR
4390	PMP		Birgus latro	qayuyu
4224	PMP	a small bee	Apis indica	qani-Ruan
4283	PMP	a small bee	Apis indica	qari-ñuan
6861	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP	jungle leech	Haemadipsa spp.	-matek
6864	PMP	jungle leech	Haemadipsa spp.	qala-matek
1726	PMP		Tinea imbricata	buqeni
3800	PMP	fungus infection which produces light patches on the skin	Tinea flava or Pityriasis	panaw₁

Plant names

Selected plant names! No. !! Reconstruction levels !! Common name !! Scientific name !! Proto-Malayo-Polynesian

8724	PMP		Coix lacryma-jobi	zelay
4343	PMP	a climbing plant	Wedelia biflora	qatay qatay₁
11282	PMP		Cycas rumphii	patuRu
3686	PMP	a fern	Lygodium spp.	nituq
7071	PMP	a hairy vine	Pueraria hirsuta	bahay
4562	PMP	a hardwood tree	Intsia bijuga, Afzelia bijuga	qipil
484	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP	a lily-like plant	Crinum asiaticum	bakuŋ₁
4206	PMP	a palm	Oncosperma sp.?	qanibuŋ
8448	PMP	a plant	Leea spp.	mali
3566	PMP	a plant	Leea spp.	mali-mali
7082	PAN, PMP, PWMP	a plant	Phragmites spp.	qaReNu
71	PMP	a plant	Pipturus argenteus	adamay
11885	PMP	a plant	Solanum nigrum	hameti
4039	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP	a plant	Urena lobata	puluC
11265	PMP	a plant used to stun fish	Derris elliptica	bunat
8455	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP, PEMP, POC	a plant with roots that are pounded and put in rivers to stun fish	Derris elliptica	tuba
590	PMP	a plant yielding useful fibers	Thespesia populnea	balu₁
1832	PMP	a shore tree	Barringtonia spp.	butun
1275	PMP	a shore tree	Calophyllum inophyllum	bitaquR
301	PMP	a shore tree	Casuarina equisetifolia	aRuhu
4290	PMP	a shore tree	Casuarina equisetifolia	qaRuhu
10441	PMP	a shore tree with edible nuts	Terminalia catappa	talisay
5317	PMP	a shrub	Cordyline, Dracaena	siRi
717	PMP	a small shore tree	Hibiscus tiliaceus	baRu
12684	PMP	a small tree bearing round, green fruit	Ehretia spp.	kanawah
8398	PMP	a swamp palm	Nipa fruticans	nipaq
10824	PMP	a tall forest tree which emits an unpleasant odor	Sterculia foetida	bubuR₃
5189	PMP	a thorny tree	Caesalpinia spp.	sepaŋ
612	PMP	a thorny vine	Smilax spp.	banaR₁
620	PMP	a thorny vine	Smilax spp.	banaw
2257	PMP	a tree	Alstonia scholaris	ditaq
3274	PMP	a tree	Artocarpus sp.	kulu₁
12727	PMP	a tree	Bischofia javanica	tuquR₂
2574	PMP	a tree	Cordia dichotoma	hanunaŋ
4243	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP	a tree	Cordia dichotoma	qaNuNaŋ
3103	PMP	a tree	Cordia spp.	kanawa
10144	PMP	a tree	Cordia spp.	kendal
6886	PMP	a tree	Cynometra spp.	namut-namut
5661	PMP	a tree	Dolichandrone spathacea	tui₁
2198	PMP	a tree	Dracontomelon edule	daqu₁
2218	PMP	a tree	Erythrina spp.	dedap
4279	PMP	a tree	Ficus spp.	qaRa₁
5384	PMP	a tree	Gnetum gnemon	suka₁
4220	PMP	a tree	Grewia spp.	qanilaw
8451	PMP	a tree	Inocarpus spp., possibly the Tahitian chestnut: Inocarpus edulis	gayam
3097	PMP	a tree	Murraya sp.	kamuniŋ
782	PMP	a tree	Nauclea sp.	baŋkal
3884	PMP	a tree	Ochrosia oppositifolia	pauq
3649	PMP	a tree	Pterocarpus indica	nara
3648	PMP	a tree	Pterocarpus indica	naRah
738	PMP	a tree	Pterospermum sp.	bayuR
3126	PMP	a tree	Schleichera trijuga	kasambiʔ
3086	PMP	a tree	Sterculia foetida	kalumpaŋ
2239	PMP	a tree	Trema orientalis	deRuŋ₂
3903	PMP	a tree	Vitex pubescens	pa(m)pa
7098	PMP		Erythrina indica	dapdap₁
9114	PMP	a tree with edible fruit, and medicinal uses	Buchanania arborescens?	balunuR
3104	PMP	a tree with fragrant flowers	Cananga odorata	kanaŋa
12774	PMP		Shorea albus	bulah
2719	PMP	a vine	Flagellaria indica	huaR
11109	PMP	an evergreen tree with decorative flowers	Cynometra ramiflora	namut
1046	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP, PEMP, POC	bamboo of very large diameter	Dendrocalamus sp.?	betuŋ₁
9776	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP	bamboo spp.	Bambusa spinosa?	kawayan
11263	PMP		Piper betle	bu-bulu
8466	PMP		Polyporus spp.	kulat₂
1146	PMP		Crescentia spp.	bila₁
1223	PAN, PMP, PWMP		Miscanthus sp.	biRaSu
10249	PAN, PMP, PWMP		Ricinus communis	katawa
1582	PMP	cowrie shell	Cypraea mauritiana	buliq₁
4358	PMP		Cucumis sativus	qatimun
10768	PMP	elephant grass, miscanthus grass	Themeda gigantea	taŋelaj
1255	PMP	fan palm	Licuala rumphii	biRu
7972	PMP	hardwood tree with edible fruit and valuable timber	Palaquium spp.	ñatuq
7996	PMP	indigo plant and dye	Indigofera suffruticosa and Indigofera tinctoria	taRum
7083	PMP	kind of fruit tree	Pometia pinnata	tawan
6542	PMP	kind of mangrove, with bark used for dyeing	Ceriops spp.	teŋeR
11007	PMP	mango tree and its fruit	Mangifera altissima?	pahuq₁
8750	PAN, PMP, PWMP	millet sp.	Setaria italica (?)	zawa₂
1033	PMP		Setaria italica	betem
812	PMP	millet sp., probably foxtail millet	Setaria italica	beteŋ₁
7254	PAN, PMP, PWMP	mulberry tree and fruit	Morus formosensis	taNiud
11844	PMP		Imperata cylindrica	mimis₁
1763	PMP	palm sp.	Corypha elata	buri₁
3089	PAN, PMP, PWMP	plant sp.	Diospyros discolor	kamaya
3671	PMP	plant sp.	Donax canniformis, used as material for making baskets	niniq₁
4614	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP, PEMP, PSHWNG, POC		Calamus sp.	quay
7169	PMP		Laportea spp.	la-lateŋ
7167	PMP	stinging nettle	Laportea spp.	lateŋ
7183	PMP	stinging nettle	Laportea spp.	zalateŋ
7185	PMP	stinging nettle	Laportea spp.	zilateŋ
4204	PMP		Arenga spp.	qanahaw
7953	PMP		Saccharum officinarum	tebuh₁
2055	PMP	sugarcane	Saccharum officinarum	tebuh₂
2399	PMP		Imperata cylindrica	eRiq
10161	PMP	sword grass	Imperata cylindrica	guRun
12663	PMP	sword grass	Imperata cylindrica	keRiq
4900	PAN, PMP, PWMP	sword grass	Imperata cylindrica	Riaq
7486	PMP		Colocasia esculenta	tales
9775	PMP		Aleurites moluccanus	kamiri
9775	PMP	the candlenut tree	Aleurites moluccanus	kamiri
12248	PMP		Millingtonia hortensis	taŋga₂
11262	PMP		Thespesia populnea	banaRu
3066	PMP	the kapok tree	Bombax ceiba	kabu-kabu
3263	PMP	tree sp.	Schoutenia ovata	kukun
5653	PMP	tree sp.	Sesbania grandiflora	tudiq
8882	PMP		Erythrina indica	depdep
9942	PMP	tree with edible nut, the Canarium almond (or the galip or ngari nut)	Canarium indicum	kanari
4260	PMP	tree with leaves like sandpaper	Ficus spp.	qa(m)pelas
3332	PMP	tree with poisonous sap	Antiaris toxicaria?	laji₁
4722	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP	tree with sticky fruits	Cordia spp.	quNuNaŋ
10888	PMP	tree spp.	Barringtonia spp.	putat
7652	PMP		Curcuma longa	kunij
1601	PAN, PMP, PWMP, PCEMP, PCMP, PEMP, PSHWNG, POC	type of slender bamboo	Schizostachyum spp.	buluq₂
1219	PMP	wild taro, elephant's ear or itching taro; sexual itch	Alocasia spp.	biRaq₁
1219	PMP	wild taro, elephant's ear or itching taro; sexual itch	Alocasia spp.	biRaq₁
4625	PMP	yam	Dioscorea alata	qubi

See also

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

Further reading

• Blust . Robert . Proto-Western Malayo-Polynesian vocatives . Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde . 135 . 2 . 1979 . 205–251 . 10.1163/22134379-90002556 . 27863237. free . Accessed: 27 Dec. 2022.
• Blust . Robert . The Challenge of Semantic Reconstruction: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *suku 'Lineage; Quarter'? . Oceanic Linguistics . 56 . 1 . 2017 . 247–56 . 10.1353/ol.2017.0010 . 26408531. Accessed 26 Dec. 2022.
• Blust . Robert . The Challenge of Semantic Reconstruction 2: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kamaliR 'Men's House' . Oceanic Linguistics . 57 . 2 . 2018 . 335–358 . 10.1353/ol.2018.0015 . 26779837. Accessed 26 Dec. 2022.
• Blust . Robert . The Challenge of Semantic Reconstruction 3: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *guntiŋ 'scissors'? . Oceanic Linguistics . 61 . 1 . 2021 . 10.1353/ol.2021.0024.
• Book: DYEN, ISIDORE . The Proto-Malayo-Polynesian Laryngeals . Linguistic Society of America . 1953 . 10.2307/j.ctt1x76d60. Accessed 27 Dec. 2022.
• Haudricourt . André-G. . Origines asiatiques des langues malayo-polynésiennes . Journal de la Société des océanistes . 10 . 1954 . 10 . 180–183 . 10.3406/jso.1954.1831 . French.
• Reid, Lawrence. "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.

External links

• ABVD: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian
• A Comparison of Austronesian Languages-WebCite query result

Notes and References

1. Dempwolff, Otto (1934–37). Vergleichende Lautlehre des austronesischen Wortschatzes. (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für Eingeborenen-Sprachen 15;17;19). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer. (3 vols.)
2. Book: Blust. Robert. Robert Blust. The Austronesian languages. 2009. Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University. 978-0-85883-602-0.
3. Dyen, Isidore. (1951). Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *Z. Language, 27(4), 534–540.
4. Blench, Roger. 2016. The boiling pot: 4000 years ago in the Luzon straits.
5. Web site: Austronesian Comparative Dictionary, web edition . Robert . Blust . Stephen . Trussel . April 25, 2020 . May 1, 2020.