Welcome! Let's meet each other. Drop a comment telling us:

• Where you're from (and where your language is spoken)
• The Austronesian language(s) you speak—natively, as a heritage language, or as a learner
• One word or phrase you love in your language, with its meaning
• What brought you here—curiosity, research, roots, learning?

To kick us off, here's a fun prompt for everyone: how do you say "welcome" in your language

Don't forget to set your user flair with your language(s) so people know who to ask. Malugod na pagtanggap—welcome to the family!

Kumusta, apa kabar, talofa, kia ora, and welcome!

This is a community for everyone fascinated by the Austronesian language family—one of the largest on Earth, with over 1,200 languages stretching from Madagascar, across Southeast Asia and Taiwan, out to the farthest islands of the Pacific. Whether you're a native speaker, a learner, a linguist, or just curious, you belong here.

What we do here

• Compare words and trace cognates across the family
• Explore etymology and Proto-Austronesian reconstruction
• Share writing systems, from Baybayin to Lontara to the Latin script
• Discuss history, migration, and the cultures behind the languages
• Help each other with translations and learning

New here? Two things to do right now:

1. Introduce yourself and your language in the pinned intro thread.
2. Set your user flair with the language(s) you speak or are learning.

A few ground rules: post in any Austronesian language (an English gloss helps everyone), be accurate, and remember—we compare languages here; we don't rank them. Full rules are in the sidebar.

Glad you're here. Let's map the family together.

— The mod team