That the languages all share similar "nautical vocabulary" for boat, sails, oars, and the like shows that the original speakers were skilled at seafaring. Analyzing these clues, linguists conclude that the Austronesian peoples probably originated in the south of China or in Indochina.
加上他們有船、帆、槳等「行船人」所用的字彙，顯示他們亦善於航行。分析他們話中的「玄機」後，語言學家得到的結論是：南島語族大約起源於華南和中南半島。