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The term "Nuclear Micronesian languages" refers to a subgroup of the Austronesian language family, closely related to Melanesian and Polynesian languages. These languages are spoken in eastern and central Micronesia.12

The Nuclear Micronesian languages include Marshallese, Gilbertese, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Kosraean, Carolinean, and Ulithian. While these languages share similarities in phonology and structure, their vocabulary often shows less than 25 percent similarity, even between closely related ones. Languages like Palauan, Chamorro, and Yapese are not considered Nuclear Micronesian, with Chamorro and Palauan showing distinct origins from the Philippines or Indonesia.132

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