Chuukic–Pohnpeic languages explained

Chuukic–Pohnpeic
Also Known As:	Trukic–Ponapeic
Region:	Micronesia
Familycolor:	Austronesian
Fam3:	Oceanic
Fam4:	Micronesian
Fam5:	Micronesian Proper
Fam6:	Nuclear Micronesian
Child1:	Chuukic
Child2:	Pohnpeic
Glotto:	pona1247
Glottorefname:	Chuukic–Ponapeic

The Chuukic–Pohnpeic or historically Trukic-Ponapeic languages are a family of Micronesian languages consisting of two dialect continua, Chuukic and Pohnpeic. They are the westernmost and historically most recent^[1] Micronesian languages.^[2]

Composition

• Chuukic (Trukic)
• Pohnpeic (Ponapeic)

Unique innovations

Chuukic-Pohnpeic has several unique innovations that separates it as a subgroup from the rest of Nuclear Micronesian. Among the most prominent are historical sound changes from Proto-Micronesian.

Historical sound changes

Chuukic-Pohnpeic languages share a number of historical sounds changes from Proto-Oceanic and Proto-Micronesian. Chuukic languages and Pohnpeic languages separately share later innovations.

Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic reflexes of Proto-Oceanic consonants^[3]

Proto-Oceanic	mp	mp,ŋp	p	m	m,ŋm	k	pronounced as /ŋk/	pronounced as /ŋ/	y	w	t		s,nj	ns,j	j	nt,nd	d,R	l	n	pronounced as /ɲ/
Proto-Micronesian	p	pʷ	f	m	mʷ	k	x	pronounced as /ŋ/	y	w	t	T	s	S	Z	c	r	l	n	pronounced as /ɲ/
Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic	p	pʷ	f	m	mʷ	k	∅,r^1	pronounced as /ŋ/	y	w	t	j	t	t	∅	c	r	l	n	pronounced as /ɲ/

¹ Before pronounced as //a//.

Reconstructed vocabulary

Reconstructed Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic Vocabulary ^[4]

Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic	English gloss	Modern language reflexes
awa	mouth	CAR aaw, PON aaw
faa	brave, strong	CHK fa 'be brave, bold', MOK pa 'be talented'
fawo-ni-pei	name of Pohnpei Island	CHK fóónupi, PON Pohnpei
kurupʷu	small young coconut	CHK kurupʷ, PON kurupʷ 'immature coconut'
pirafa	to steal	MRT púraf, PNG pirap
waiya	journey, be foreign	CAR weey 'to travel', PON way 'be foreign, from abroad'
woro-	throat, neck	CHK woro-mi 'to swallow', PON pronounced as /wɛrɛ/ 'his/her neck'

References

1. Book: Blust, Robert . Robert Blust

   . Robert Blust . 2013 . The Austronesian Languages . Asia Pacific Linguistics . Canberra, Australia . 9781922185075 . 1885/10191 .

2. Book: Lynch, John . John Lynch (linguist)

   . John Lynch (linguist) . Malcolm Ross . Terry Crowley (linguist) . Terry Crowley . 2002 . The Oceanic languages . Richmond, Surrey . Curzon . 978-0-7007-1128-4 . 48929366 . Malcolm Ross (linguist) .

3. Bender. Byron W.. Proto-Micronesian Reconstructions: 1. Oceanic Linguistics. 2003. 42. 1. 4, 5. 10.2307/3623449. 3623449.
4. Bender. Byron W.. Proto-Micronesian Reconstructions: 2. Oceanic Linguistics. 2003. 42. 2. 271–281. 10.1353/ol.2003.0014.