Everything about Samoan Language totally explained
The
Sāmoan or
Samoan language is the traditional language of
Samoa and
American Samoa and is an official language — alongside
English — in both jurisdictions. It is a member of the
Austronesian family, and more specifically the
Samoic branch of the
Polynesian subphylum.
There are 370,338 Samoan-speakers worldwide, nearly half of them in the Samoan Islands. Thereafter, the greatest concentration is in
New Zealand, where Samoans are the third largest ethnic group after
Pākehā and
Māori: the 2001 New Zealand census recorded 81,036 speakers of the Samoan language, and 114,435 ethnic Samoans. Separate data showed that 71,769 ethnic Samoans in New Zealand could speak Samoan — 62.7 per cent. The majority of Samoans in New Zealand (76,581 persons or 66.9 per cent), and by implication the greater proportion of Samoan speakers in the country, reside in the commercial capital,
Auckland.
According to the 2001 census, there were 22,711 speakers of Samoan in
Australia, and 28,091 ethnic Samoans.
Writing systems
The Samoan alphabet consists of 15 letters, plus three (
H,
K,
R) that are only used in loanwords:
| Aa |
Ee |
Ff |
Gg |
Hh |
Ii |
Kk |
Ll |
Mm |
Nn |
Oo |
Pp |
Rr |
Ss |
Tt |
Uu |
Vv |
' |
| /a/, /ə/ |
/e/, /ɛ/ |
/f/ |
/ŋ/ |
/h/ |
/i/, /ɪ/ |
/k/ |
/l/ |
/m/ |
/n/, /g/ |
/ɔ/, /o/ |
/p/ |
/l/ |
/s/ |
/t/, /k/ |
/u/, /ʊ/ |
/v/ |
/ʔ/ |
Note: When IPA characters appear in pairs, the left one indicates the value of the long vowel. Long vowels are indicated in orthograph by a macron over the vowel.
Phonology
Samoan
syllable structure is (C)V.
Vowels are length-distinct in Samoan.
Grammar
Personal pronouns
Like many Austronesian languages, Samoan has separate words for
inclusive and exclusive we, and distinguishes
singular,
dual, and
plural. The root for the inclusive pronoun may occur in the singular, in which case it indicates emotional involvement on the part of the speaker.
|
singular |
dual |
plural |
| First person exclusive | a’u, 'ou |
mā’ua, mā |
mātou
|
| First person inclusive | tā |
tā’ua, tā |
tātou
|
| Second person | ’oe, ’e |
’oulua |
’outou, tou
|
| Third person | ia / na |
lā’ua |
lātou
|
In formal speech, fuller forms of the roots
mā-,
tā-, and
lā- are
’imā-,
’itā-, and
’ilā-.
Vocabulary
Common phrases and words
| English |
Samoan |
Pronounce |
| Yes |
'Ioe |
/ʔɪoɛ/ |
| No |
Leai |
/lɛaɪ/ |
| Please |
Fa'amolemole |
/faʔamolɛmolɛ/ |
| Thank you |
Fa'afetai |
/faʔafɛtaɪ/ |
| That's all right |
'Ua lelei |
/ʔʊa lɛlɛɪ/ |
| big - small |
tele - la'itiiti |
/tɛlɛ/ - /laʔɪtɪtɪ/ |
| quick - slow |
tope - gese |
/topɛ/ - /ŋɛsɛ/ |
| early - late |
vave - tuai |
/vavɛ/ - /tʊaɪ/ |
| cheap - expensive |
taugōfie - taugatā |
/taʊŋɔːfɪɛ/ - /taʊŋataː/ |
| near - far |
latalata - mamao |
/latalata/ - /mamao/ |
| hot - cold |
vevela - mālūlū |
/vɛvɛla/ - /maːluːluː/ |
| full - empty |
tumu - gaogao |
/tʊmʊ/ - /ŋaoŋao/ |
| easy - difficult |
faigoōfie - faigatā |
/faɪŋoɔːfɪɛ/ - /faɪŋataː/ |
| heavy - light |
mamafa - māma |
/mamafa/ - /maːma/ |
| open - shut |
tatala - tapuni |
/tatala/ - /tapʊnɪ/ |
| right - wrong |
sa'o - sesē |
/saʔo/ - /sɛsɛː/ |
| old - new |
tuai - fou |
/tʊaɪ/ - /foʊ/ |
| old - young |
matua - la'itiiti |
/matʊa/ - /laʔɪtɪtɪ/ |
| beautiful - ugly |
matagōfie - mataga |
/mataŋɔːfɪɛ/ - /mataŋa/ |
| good - bad |
lelei / leaga |
/lɛlɛɪ/ / /lɛaŋa/ |
| better - worse |
feoloolo - leaga tele |
/fɛololo/ - /lɛaŋa tɛlɛ/ |
Further Information
Get more info on 'Samoan Language'.
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