The Western Malayo-Polynesian languages, also known as the Hesperonesian languages, are a paraphyletic grouping of Austronesian languages made up of the Malayo-Polynesian languages that do not belong to the Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian branch. This includes Austronesian languages spoken in Madagascar, mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines, the Greater Sunda Islands, Bali, Lombok, the western half of Sumbawa, Palau and the Mariana Islands.
Facts
RegionMadagascar, Mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines, the Greater Sunda Islands 1 Connections
Ancestor Of
Batak is a branch of the western Malayo-Polynesian languages of Sumatra.
Descends From
Why this is disputed. Western Malayo-Polynesian is a widely used geographic cover term for the non-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages of the Philippines, western Indonesia and mainland Southeast Asia; most current classifications treat it as a geographic convenience rather than a genuine genetic node, so it is recorded here as descending from Malayo-Polynesian with that caveat.
Sources
1. Western Malayo-Polynesian languages - Wikipedia
Introduction, first paragraphQuote, Introduction, first paragraph
This includes all Austronesian languages spoken in Madagascar, Mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines, the Greater Sunda Islands
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