Polynesiska

Polynesiska, known in English as Polynesian, refers to the peoples, cultures, and languages of Polynesia, a vast subregion of Oceania in the central and southern Pacific. The term is used in linguistic and anthropological contexts to describe a family of related languages and the ethnolinguistic groups that speak them, including Māori (New Zealand), Samoan, Tongan, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Cook Islands Maori, Niuean, Marquesan, and others. Polynesia forms a rough triangle spanning from Hawaii in the north to New Zealand in the southwest and Easter Island in the east, encompassing thousands of islands.

Linguistically, Polynesian languages constitute a branch of the Oceanic subgroup of the Austronesian language family. They are closely related and derived from a common ancestor. Common phonological and grammatical features include a relatively small phoneme inventory, a five-vowel system, limited consonant clusters, and a pronoun system that distinguishes inclusive and exclusive forms. These languages typically rely on analytic grammar with particles and a preference for clear morphological boundaries between words.

The settlement of Polynesia is tied to the broader Austronesian expansion and the Lapita cultural complex. By roughly the first millennium CE, major islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, and New Zealand were inhabited, following long-distance voyaging practices that enabled rapid exploration and colonization of remote islands.

Today, Polynesian languages exhibit varying vitality. Some, like Māori and Hawaiian, have strong transmission and institutional support, while others have small speaker communities and are considered endangered. Efforts in education, media, and revitalization programs aim to sustain linguistic and cultural heritage across Polynesia.