Micronesian languages

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Micronesian
Geographic distribution:	Micronesia
Genetic classification:	Austronesian  Malayo-Polynesian   Oceanic    Micronesian
Subdivisions:	Micronesian Proper Nauru

The family of Micronesian languages is a branch of the Central-Eastern Oceanic languages. It consists of 20 languages, the 19 Micronesian Proper languages and Nauruan. Micronesian languages are famous for their lack of plain labial consonants; they have instead two series, palatalized and labio-velarized labials.

[edit] Components

According to a 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database,^[1] the Micronesian languages group as follows:

• Nauruan
• Micronesian Proper
  • Gilbertese (i-Kiribati)
  • Nuclear Micronesian
    • Kosraean
    • Ponapeic languages
    • Marshallese
    • Trukic languages

The analysis gives a 75% probability that Kosraean is a primary branch of Nuclear Micronesian. Nauruan was not included in the database, but is widely considered the most divergent of the Micronesian languages.

It also showed that the Micronesian languages form a unit with the Fijian-Polynesian languages at a 70% confidence level.

[edit] References