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Story: Linguistics

Polynesian languages

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Polynesian languages

This map shows the different languages within the Polynesian triangle, bounded by Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand. The triangle contains 16 languages of the Polynesian subgroup. Another 14 Polynesian languages are spoken outside the triangle.  

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: K. R. Howe, ed., Vaka moana: voyages of the ancestors: the discovery and settlement of the Pacific. Auckland: David Bateman; Auckland Museum, 2006

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How to cite this page

Janet Holmes, Linguistics – Linguistics in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/43839/polynesian-languages (accessed 8 June 2026).

Story by Janet Holmes, published 16 December 2013.