Proto-Austronesian
Proto-language (reconstructed) · historical / hidden variety
Proto-Austronesian (PAN) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian family — one of the world's largest, spanning from Madagascar to Easter Island. It is generally placed on Taiwan around 4000–3000 BCE, before the great maritime expansion across Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific; the reconstruction — pioneered by Dempwolff and later refined by Dyen and especially Blust and Starosta — draws heavily on the divergent Formosan languages, whose decisive importance for high-order subgrouping was recognized only after Dempwolff, whose own reconstruction rested on Malayo-Polynesian witnesses.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Proto-Austronesian
Water
*daNum
/daNum/
Fire
*Sapuy
/Sapuy/
Sun
*waRi
/waRi/
Moon
*bulaN
/bulaN/
Star
*bituqen
/bituqen/
Mother
*ina
/ina/
Father
*ama
/ama/
I
*aku
/aku/
You
*iSu
/iSu/
Name
*ŋajan
/ŋajan/
Eye
*maCa
/maCa/
Hand
*lima
/lima/
Heart
*pusuq
/pusuq/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
*kaSiw
/kaSiw/
House
*Rumaq
/Rumaq/
Dog
*asu
/asu/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
*kaen
/kaen/
Drink
*inum
/inum/
One
*isa
/isa/
Two
*duSa
/duSa/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Proto-language (reconstructed) languages
| Meaning | Proto-Austronesian | Babuza (Favorlang) | Pazeh | Kavalan | Bunun | Old Malay | Old Tagalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | *daNum /daNum/ | zalum /zalum/ | dalum /da.lum/ | zanum /zaˈnum/ | danum /danum/ | ayar /ajar/ | ᜆᜓᜊᜒᜄ᜔ /tubiɡ/ |
| Fire | *Sapuy /Sapuy/ | apoi /apoi/ | hapuy /ha.puj/ | ramaz /raˈmaz/ | sapuz /sapuz/ | api /api/ | ᜀᜉᜓᜌ᜔ /apuj/ |
| Sun | *waRi /waRi/ | — /—/ | rizax /ɾi.zax/ | siban /siˈban/ | vali /vali/ | matari /matari/ | ᜀᜇᜏ᜔ /araw/ |
| Moon | *bulaN /bulaN/ | zilias /siliəs/ | ilas /i.las/ | buran /buˈran/ | buan /buan/ | bulan /bulan/ | ᜊᜓᜏᜈ᜔ /buwan/ |
| Star | *bituqen /bituqen/ | botto /botːo/ | mintol /mintol/ | bituqan /bituqan/ | bintuhan /bintuhan/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | ᜊᜒᜆᜓᜁᜈ᜔ /bituʔin/ |
| Mother | *ina /ina/ | tina /tina/ | ina /i.na/ | tina /ˈtina/ | tina /tina/ | ibu /ibu/ | ᜁᜈ /ina/ |
| Father | *ama /ama/ | tama /tama/ | aba /a.ba/ | tama /ˈtama/ | tama /tama/ | bapa /bapa/ | ᜀᜋ /ama/ |
| I | *aku /aku/ | ka-ina /kaina/ | yaku /jaku/ | aiku /aiku/ | saikin /saikin/ | aku /aku/ | ᜀᜃᜓ /ako/ |
| You | *iSu /iSu/ | ijo /ijo/ | isiu /isiu/ | aisu /aisu/ | suu /suʔu/ | kamu /kamu/ | ᜁᜃᜏ᜔ /ikaw/ |
| Name | *ŋajan /ŋajan/ | naan /naːn/ | ngadan /ŋadan/ | nangan /naŋan/ | ngaan /ŋaan/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | ᜅᜎᜈ᜔ /ŋalan/ |
| Eye | *maCa /maCa/ | macha /matʃa/ | daurik /da.u.ɾik/ | mata /maˈta/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | ᜋᜆ /mata/ |
| Hand | *lima /lima/ | rima /rima/ | rima /ɾi.ma/ | rima /riˈma/ | ima /ima/ | tangan /taŋan/ | ᜃᜋᜌ᜔ /kamaj/ |
| Heart | *pusuq /pusuq/ | — /—/ | baga /ba.ɡa/ | — /—/ | is-ang /isaŋ/ | hati /hati/ | ᜉᜓᜐᜓ /puso/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | madaidaz /madaidaz/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ | ᜁᜊᜒᜄ᜔ /ibiɡ/ |
| Tree | *kaSiw /kaSiw/ | kayu /kaju/ | kahuy /ka.huj/ | kasuy /kaˈsuj/ | kahu /kahu/ | kayu /kaju/ | ᜃᜑᜓᜌ᜔ /kahoj/ |
| House | *Rumaq /Rumaq/ | ruma /ruma/ | xuma /xu.ma/ | lepaw /ləˈpaw/ | lumaq /lumaq/ | rumah /rumah/ | ᜊᜑᜌ᜔ /bahaj/ |
| Dog | *asu /asu/ | asu /asu/ | wazu /wa.zu/ | wasu /waˈsu/ | asu /asu/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | ᜀᜐᜓ /aso/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ngiyaw /ŋiˈjaw/ | ngingiyaw /ŋiŋijaw/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | ᜉᜓᜐ /pusa/ |
| Eat | *kaen /kaen/ | maan /maːn/ | mekan /mə.kan/ | quman /quˈman/ | maun /maun/ | makan /makan/ | ᜃᜁᜈ᜔ /kain/ |
| Drink | *inum /inum/ | minum /minum/ | mimaazip /mi.maː.zip/ | mimum /miˈmum/ | muqun /muqun/ | minum /minum/ | ᜁᜈᜓᜋ᜔ /inom/ |
| One | *isa /isa/ | nata /nata/ | adang /a.daŋ/ | issa /ˈissa/ | tasa /tasa/ | sa /sa/ | ᜁᜐ /isa/ |
| Two | *duSa /duSa/ | naroa /naroa/ | dusa /dusa/ | zusa /zusa/ | dusa /dusa/ | dua /dua/ | ᜇᜎᜏ /dalaˈwa/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | uninang /uninaŋ/ | — /—/ | ᜋᜊᜓᜑᜌ᜔ /mabuhaj/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | uninang /uninaŋ/ | — /—/ | ᜐᜎᜋᜆ᜔ /salamat/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | masial /masial/ | baik /baik/ | ᜋᜊᜓᜆᜒ /mabuti/ |
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