As we have mentioned several times on this website before, the Austronesian people groups are known for their seafaring traditions, which allowed them to expand from present-day Taiwan into the vast seas and oceans, bringing their languages and cultures with them to these far-flung islands. Many of these languages are associated with islands and archipelagos … Continue reading The westernmost Austronesian language
Malayo-Polynesian
Reduplication in some Malayo-Polynesian languages
When learning languages such as te reo Māori and Gagana Sāmoa, I cannot help but notice that there are a bunch of words that feature some form of duplication in them. For example, in Samoan, several colour terms are reduplicated, such as uliuli (black) and pa'epa'e (white). In Māori, there are words such as huihui … Continue reading Reduplication in some Malayo-Polynesian languages
Using Hangul to write … other languages?
One of the most defining features of the Korean language is the use of Hangul characters. While we know that Korean is the language Hangul is predominantly used in reading and writing, there are other indeed other languages that use or sort of use Hangul. Previously, and by that, I mean several years ago, we … Continue reading Using Hangul to write … other languages?
Yet another vertical writing system
In a previous post, we have introduced one of the writing systems that is written vertically, but read horizontally. But what if I told you that there are more writing systems that sort of use similar writing directions? That is right, because today, we will dive into yet another one of these writing systems, that … Continue reading Yet another vertical writing system
The language of the Orchid Island — Tao (Cizicizing No Tao, Ciriciring No Tao, Ireriak No Tao)
Some 46 kilometres southeast of Taiwan, lies a small volcanic island governed as Lanyu Township of Taitung County, Taiwan / Republic of China. Separated from the Batanes islands of northern parts of the Philippines by the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait, this island is inhabited speakers of a language more similar to languages spoken … Continue reading The language of the Orchid Island — Tao (Cizicizing No Tao, Ciriciring No Tao, Ireriak No Tao)
Te Reo Māori o Aotearoa — The Māori Language
Aotearoa, or New Zealand, is amazing. Uninhabited before the 13th century, the Eastern Polynesians settled here after a long series of voyages through the islands of the South Pacific. These early settlers would later be the Māori people, calling Aotearoa their home. Now numbering about 775 000 in New Zealand (as of the 2018 census), … Continue reading Te Reo Māori o Aotearoa — The Māori Language
