What is Malayo-Polynesian languages?
The '''Malayo-Polynesian languages''' are a subgroup of the [[Austronesian languages]].<ref>E K Brown; Sarah Ogilvie, ''Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World'' (Amsterdam, Netherlands; Boston, MA: Elsevier, 2009), p. 99</ref> There are about 385.5 [[million]] people who speak these [[language]]s. The Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by the [[Austronesian people]] of the island nations of [[Southeast Asia]] and the [[Pacific Ocean]]. There are a smaller number in [[continent]]al [[Asia]]. [[Malagasy language|Malagasy]] is spoken on the island of [[Madagascar]]. Part of the language family shows a strong [[influence]] of [[Sanskrit]] and [[Arabic language|Arabic]] as the [[west]]ern part of the [[region]] has many [[wikt:follower|follower]]s of [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], and, since the 10th century, [[Islam]]. == References == {{reflist}} {{asia-stub}} [[Category:Austronesian languages]]