Miriam
Niuean (a Polynesian language)
I put this under Tongan because Niuean isn't in italki's language list but Tongan and Niuean are closely related. This was originally a notebook entry from February, the original can be found here (together with a map, where to find Niue): <a href="https://www.italki.com/notebook/2918439/entry/973393" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.italki.com/notebook/2918439/entry/973393</a>;.
Fakaalofa atu! On italki there was a discussion about recognising countries where the vowels were removed. FJ was easy to be recognised as Fiji, but someone posted just the latter N. I came to the conclusion that it must be Niue, a tiny island country in the South Pacific, that is associated with New Zealand. Niuean and English are the official languages and are both taught in schools and used as languages of instruction. Some info about the language:
- Niuean is a Polynesian language that belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian language family and is closely related to Tongan and more distantly to Maori, Samoan and Hawaiian.
- It’s spoken by about 1609 people in Niue which make up over 97% of the population in Niue but it’s spoken by around 8000 people outside of Niue, e.g . in the Cook Islands, New Zealand and Tonga.
- speakers of the language avoid the word Niuean but prefer vagahau Niue for the language, Tagata Niue for the people and aga fakamotu for the culture of Niue.
- Niuean is written with Roman letters. It was Christian missionaries who started writing it in the mid 19th century, using a spelling system influenced by Samoan.
Resources for learning vagahau Niue:
This book is very interesting because it not only teaches the language but a lot about traditions and culture of Niue.
An accomplished polyglot who is an expert in Niuean is Jared Gimbel.
Are you a Niuean speaker or learner or generally interested in this language and culture?
2019年11月19日 21:02
评论 · 1
Hi, Miriam, thank you for this post from November, 2019. I just spoke with a friend based in Hawaii who is a linguist. He is looking to preserve indigenous Hawaiian languages at risk of extinction. Would you know anyone who speaks any of these, or who studies these, as a polyglot or linguist? My friend would like to do video interviews in an attempt to preserve them and have them taught in public schools in Hawaii: Pohnpeian, Chuukese, Marshallese, Mortlockese, Palauan, and i-Kiribati. Niue could be helpful, too! Thanks for the resources. I will pass them along.
2021年7月6日
