Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Tagalog language

(Encyclopedia)Tagalog language: see Malayo-Polynesian languages. ...

Sundanese language

(Encyclopedia)Sundanese language: see Malayo-Polynesian languages. ...

Pilipino language

(Encyclopedia)Pilipino language, form of Tagalog used in the Philippines. See Malayo-Polynesian languages. ...

Austronesian

(Encyclopedia)Austronesian ôsˌtrōnēˈzhən, –shən [key], name sometimes used for the Malayo-Polynesian languages. ...

Bahasa Indonesia

(Encyclopedia)Bahasa Indonesia bähäˈsä [key], another name for Indonesian, one of the Malayo-Polynesian languages. ...

African languages

(Encyclopedia)African languages, geographic rather than linguistic classification of languages spoken on the African continent. Historically the term refers to the languages of sub-Saharan Africa, which do not belo...

Malayan

(Encyclopedia)Malayan māˈlā [key], general term for one of a population of persons inhabiting SE Asia and the adjacent islands. The Malays vary greatly in physical appearance. The term Indonesian, used as an alt...

Micronesia

(Encyclopedia)Micronesia mīkrōnēˈzhə, –shə [key], one of the three main divisions of Oceania, in W Pacific Ocean, north of the equator. Micronesia includes the Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, Mariana Is...

Polynesia

(Encyclopedia)Polynesia pŏlĭnēˈzhə, –shə [key] [Gr.,=many islands], one of the three main divisions of Oceania, in the central and S Pacific Ocean. The larger islands are volcanic; the smaller ones are gene...

lingua franca

(Encyclopedia)lingua franca lĭngˈgwə frăngˈkə [key], an auxiliary language, generally of a hybrid and partially developed nature, that is employed over an extensive area by people speaking different and mutua...