Where does “ala” come from?
ala (Hawaiian) comes from Proto-Polynesian hala, from Proto-Oceanic jalan, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian zalan, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian zalan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian zalan, from Proto-Austronesian zalan — path.
ala (Hawaiian): way, path, road
Ancestry of “ala”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Polynesian | hala | — |
| 2 | Proto-Oceanic | jalan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | zalan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | zalan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | zalan | path |
| 6 | Proto-Austronesian | zalan | path |