Polynesia and Melanesia

Origin of Language

Joseph Banks and James Cook compared words to determine that the languages on different Polynesian islands were almost completely the same, and that these languages were similar to those in Southeast Asia.

For example Joseph lists Tahitian and New Zealand Maori words side by side to show that the languages are almost the same, then uses the same technique of comparing west until Southeast Asia.

Later explorers (and the scientists who sailed with them) compared more words from the islands and extended the comparisons, while philologists in Europe and America compared the languages of the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.

They also showed that the language had spread to Madagascar.

Language

Polynesian languages are all very similar

There are 1,319 languages in Melanesia.

The proportion of 716 sq. kilometers per language is the most dense rate of languages in to land mass in the earthby far, almost three times as dense as in Nigeria is a country that is famous for its high number of languages in a small area.

D.N.A.

Recent studies of D.N.A. show Polynesians are genetically connected to ndigenous people of Southeast Asia.

Archaeology shows that this may be correct.

Recent studies in Y chromosome show that Polynesians are genetically related to people in Melanesia.

Culture

Polynesia has two cultural groups, East Polynesia and West Polynesia.

West Polynesia has big populations. They have strong marriage laws and trades.

East Polynesia have live on small islands.

Word Meaning

The word Polynesia means many islands. It comes from the Greek word Poly meaning many and nesia meaning island.

Melanesia means black island. Melas is the Greek word for black.

Micronesia means small islands Micro means small.

Mapping

‘The islands of the Pacific are divided into three main groups –Melanesia which lis mostly to the south of the Equator; Micronesia which is mainly to the north of the Equator and Polynesia is a huge area to the east.’

‘Polynesia stretches in a huge triangle from New Zealand in the southwest to Easter Island in the Southeast and up to Hawai'i in the north’

The islands of Melanesia are Papua, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji.

People

The Polynesian people are lighter skinned and usually taller than the Melanesian and Micronesian people.

The melanesian people are very dark skinned with blond hair and there are suspicions that they organised in East Africa and migrating through Indonesia.

Bibliography

http://www.pbs.org/wayfinders/polynesian4.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesia

http://www.janeresture.com/polyhome/index.htm