Nuclear Polynesian languages

Nuclear Polynesian refers to those languages comprising the Samoic and the Eastern Polynesian branches of the Polynesian group of Austronesian languages.

Nuclear Polynesian
Geographic distribution	Polynesia
Linguistic classification	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Polynesian Nuclear Polynesian
Subdivisions	Eastern Polynesian Samoic
Language codes
Glottolog	nucl1485

Major subgroups of Polynesian

The Eastern Polynesian group comprises two major subgroups: Rapa Nui, spoken on Easter Island, and Central-Eastern, which is itself composed of Rapan, and the Marquesic and Tahitic languages.

Nuclear Polynesian is differentiated, among Polynesian languages, by its distinguishing characteristics from the Tongic languages spoken in most of Tonga and in Niue.

Languages

• Nuclear Polynesian
  • Samoic
    • East Uvean–Niuafo'ou languages
    • Ellicean languages
    • Futunic languages
    • Pukapuka
    • Samoan
    • Tokelauan
  • Eastern Polynesian
    • Rapa Nui
    • Central Eastern Polynesian
      • Rapa
      • Marquesic languages
        • Hawaiian
        • Marquesan
          • Northern
          • Southern
        • Mangerevan
      • Tahitic languages
        • Austral
        • Māori
        • Tuamotuan
        • Penrhyn
        • Rarotongan
        • Rakahanga-Manihiki
        • Tahitian

Alternative classification

• Nuclear Polynesian
  • Futunic languages
  • Pukapuka
  • Ellicean languages
    • Samoic
      • Samoan
      • Tokelauan
    • Ellicean–Outlier
      • Tuvaluan
      • Nukuoro
      • Kapingamarangi
      • Nukuria
      • Takuu
      • Nukumanu
      • Ontong Java
      • Sikaiana
      • Pileni
    • Eastern Polynesian