Retention and loss of plant terms between Proto-Oceanic and Micronesian

Authors

  • Lev Blumenfeld Carleton University

Keywords:

Proto-Micronesian, Proto-Oceanic, plant terms

Abstract

What plants did speakers of Proto-Micronesian know about, and what do they tell us about the settlement history of Micronesia? In this paper the Micronesian reflexes of Proto-Oceanic plant terms are surveyed. The data points to a settlement scenario that starts with high islands, and excludes an “island-hopping” scenario via closest low islands.

Author Biography

Lev Blumenfeld, Carleton University

Lev Blumenfeld is associate professor of linguistics at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He has published on theoretical phonology, the linguistics of verse and, more recently, Micronesian linguistics. He is currently focusing on historical and comparative Micronesian linguistics, with a particular interest in the Nauruan language.

front cover of June 2024 issue

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Published

2024-07-29

Issue

Vol. 133 No. 2 (2024): Waka Kuaka | Journal of the Polynesian Society

Section

Articles

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Copyright © 2024 by the Polynesian Society (Inc.)

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