Proto-Polynesian (abbreviated PPn) is the reconstructed proto-language from which all modern Polynesian languages descend. It is a descendant of the Proto-Oceanic language (the language associated with the Lapita civilization), itself a descendant of Proto-Austronesian. The homeland of Proto-Polynesian speakers is believed to have been Tonga, Samoa, and nearby islands.
Proto-Polynesian has a small phonological inventory, with 13 consonants and 5 vowels.
Proto-Polynesian had five vowels, , with no length distinction. In a number of daughter languages, successive sequences of vowels came together to produce long vowels and diphthongs, and in some languages these sounds later became phonemic.
The following is a table of some sample vocabulary as it is represented orthographically in various languages. All instances of represent a glottal stop, IPA . All instances of and Samoan represent the single phoneme . The letter in all cases represents voiced alveolar tap , not .