An examination of linguistic terms for ‘banana’ within Island
Southeast Asia and Melanesia sheds light on the history
of Musa spp. domestication. Linguistic investigations
suggest a westward dispersal of banana from New Guinea,
mixing with a Philippine variety (or at least sphere of
cultural usage), then westward again to mainland Southeast
Asia, and (as far as can be linguistically inferred) onward
to the western edge of South Asia. The linguisticallyderived
interpretation accords generally with the archaeobotanical
evidence and botanical models for the dispersal
of banana cultivars
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