Proto-Malayo-Polynesian language
| Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| PMP | |
| Reconstruction of | Malayo-Polynesian |
| Region | Luzon Strait? |
Reconstructed ancestor | |
| Lower-order reconstructions | |
Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, which is by far the largest branch (by current speakers) of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian is ancestral to all Austronesian languages spoken outside Taiwan, as well as the Yami language on Taiwan's Orchid Island. The first systematic reconstruction of Proto-Austronesian ("Uraustronesisch") by Otto Dempwolff was based on evidence from languages outside of Taiwan, and was therefore actually the first reconstruction of what is now known as Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.