New perspectives on

Eastern Polynesian subgrouping

Mary Walworth (MPI-SHH)

Albert Davletshin (Russian State University for the Humanities)

COOL, UNC
October 8, 2019
1 - Introduction
1 – Introduction

Modified from Marck 2000 & Walworth 2014, 2017

2 – Eastern Polynesia
2 – Eastern Polynesia
2 – Eastern Polynesia

1. ‘blenny’ PEP *panoko > PMQS *paroko

2. ‘ghost crab’ PEP *kawiti > PTA *kohiti

2 – Eastern Polynesia

1. ‘blenny’ PEP *panoko > PMQS *paroko

Rapanui ‘blenny’ pa:roko (Churchill 1912)

2. ‘ghost crab’ PEP *kawiti > PTA *kohiti

Hawaiian ‘sand crab’ ʔo:hiki (Pukui & Elbert 1986)
2 – Eastern Polynesia

Modified from Marck 2000 & Walworth 2014

3 – Networks
3 – Central Eastern Network

Hawaiian

Tongareva
Marquesas
Tahiti
Tuamotus

Rarotonga Australs
Mangareva

Rapa Iti

Māori
3 - Central Eastern Network
3 – Central Eastern Network

Data from Walworth, 2017 & POLLEX, 2018

3 – Southeastern Network

S. Cook
Islands
Mangareva

Rapa Iti
3 –Southeastern Network

Regular consonant changes from PEP in Southeastern Network

Adapted from Walworth, 2017

3 –Southeastern Network

Mangareva & Rapa Iti Rarotongan & Rapa Iti

koko ‘valley’ ka ‘perfective marker’
noti ‘indeed’ kāre ‘no’
rua ‘spouse, partner in mokotua ‘back’
a couple’
kami'a ‘canoe’
tīkoni ‘clubfoot’

From Walworth, 2017

3 – Mangareva-Marquesan-Rapanui
MMR Netwok Network

Marquesas

Mangareva

Rapanui
3 – Mangareva-Marquesas-Rapanui Network

Data from Tregear,1898; Janeau, 1908; Dordillon, 1904; Roussel 1926, Randall and Egaña, 1984; Walworth, n.d.; Davletshin, n.d.
3 – Mangareva-Rapanui Network

Data from Tregear,1898; Janeau, 1908; Dordillon, 1904; Roussel 1926, Randall and Egaña, 1984; Walworth, n.d.; Davletshin, n.d.
4 – Discussion

Why ‘networks’?
4 – Discussion
5 – Implications

(1) There were Proto Eastern Polynesian speakers in

Mangareva and the Marquesas.

(2) Rapa Nui was likely settled from Mangareva.

(3) Marquesan and Mangarevan were involved in early

contact networks with the islands of the region of
central-east Polynesia.

(4) These networks indicate innovative feature

development and sharing was the result of intense
connectivity in the whole of the east Polynesia region.
Many thanks to:
Ross Clark
Alex François
Simon Greenhill
Russell Gray
Aymeric Hermann
Andrew Pawley
Malcolm Ross

Contact:
walworth@shh.mpg.de