Where does “te reo Māori” come from?
te reo Māori (Maori) comes from Maori reo, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *leo, from Proto-Oceanic leqo, from Proto-Oceanic *(qa-)liqoʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *liqəʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *liqəʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian liqəʀ, from Proto-Austronesian liqəʀ — neck.
te reo Māori (Maori): the Maori language
Ancestry of “te reo Māori”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Maori | reo | voice; speech, utterance; language |
| 2 | Proto-Nuclear Polynesian | *leo | — |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | leqo | — |
| 4 | Proto-Oceanic | *(qa-)liqoʀ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | *liqəʀ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | *liqəʀ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | liqəʀ | neck |
| 8 | Proto-Austronesian | liqəʀ | neck |