Ellicean languages

Ellicean
Ellicean–Outlier
Geographic distribution:	Tuvalu, Polynesian outliers in Micronesia and northern Melanesia
Linguistic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Central Pacific Polynesian Ellicean–Eastern Ellicean
Subdivisions:	—

The Ellicean or Ellicean–Outlier languages are a group languages spoken in Polynesian outliers in Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, and the northern Solomon Islands, as well as the languages of Tuvalu. The name comes from the Ellice Islands, the colonial name of Tuvalu.

The other Polynesian outlier languages were traditionally classified in sister group of Futunic languages, but Futunic is not well supported as a group.

List of Ellicean languages

According to a 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database, the languages are as follows:

Ellicean	Nukuoro (on Nukuoro in the Federated States of Micronesia) Kapingamarangi (on Kapingamarangi in the FSM) Takuu (on Takuu Atoll in the eastern islands of Papua New Guinea) Ontong Java (or Luangiua; on Ontong Java in the Solomon Islands) Sikaiana (on Sikaiana in the Solomons)

Also classified in the past as Ellicean languages, but not included in the database, are

• Nukumanu (on Nukumanu in the eastern islands of Papua New Guinea)
• Nuguria (or Nukuria; on Nuguria in the eastern islands of Papua New Guinea)