Tahitic languages

Infobox Language family
name= Tahitic
region=Polynesian islands
familycolor=Austronesian
fam2=Malayo-Polynesian (MP)
fam3=Nuclear MP
fam4=Central-Eastern MP
fam5=Eastern MP
fam6=Oceanic
fam7=Central-Eastern
fam8=Central Pacific
fam9=East Fijian-Polynesian
fam10=Polynesian
fam11=Nuclear Polynesian
fam12=Eastern Polynesian
fam13=Central Eastern
child1=Austral
child2=Māori
child3=Penrhyn
child4=Rakahanga-Manihiki
child5=Rarotongan
child6=Tahitian
child7=Tuamotuan
child8=Moriori (probably extinct)The Tahitic languages are a group of Eastern Polynesian languages in the Central Eastern branch. (The other members of Central Eastern are Rapan, spoken on Rapa Island, and the Marquesic languages).

The two most important languages of the group by number of speakers are Tahitian and New Zealand Maori. Tahitian is the main language of the Society Islands, and is used as a "lingua franca" throughout much of French Polynesia, while Maori is spoken by a sizable minority in New Zealand where it shares official status with English.

Other languages of the group include::Austral (or Tubuaian), spoken in the Austral Islands:Moriori, of the Chatham Islands of New Zealand:Penrhyn (or Tongarevan), spoken on Penrhyn (Tongareva) in the northern Cook Islands:Rarotongan, spoken in the southern Cook Islands:Rakahanga-Manihiki, spoken on Rakahanga and Manihiki in the northern Cook Islands:Tuamotuan, spoken throughout the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia, with the exception of Puka-Puka and the Disappointment Islands.

External links

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90453 Ethnologue classification of Tahitic languages]