Where did the Tongan language come from?
Tongan language
Tongan | |
---|---|
lea faka-Tonga | |
Native to | Tonga; significant immigrant community in New Zealand and the United States |
Native speakers | 187,000 96,000 in Tonga (1998) 73,000 elsewhere (no date), primarily in NZ, U.S., and Australia |
Language family | Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Polynesian Tongic Tongan |
What is the native language of Tonga?
Tongan
English
Tonga/Official languages
When was the Tongan language created?
Tongan is a mainly spoken language. The first written form of the language appeared in the 19th century by European missionaries, based on the Latin script. The Privy Council of Tonga developed current spellings used for the language in 1943.
What is the oldest Polynesian language?
Samoan
Samoan is the oldest and most spoken Polynesian language with an estimated 510,000 speakers worldwide. The Samoan language is most recognised for its phonological differences between formal and informal discussion as well as ceremonial speech used in Samoan oratory.
What does Tonga mean in Tongan?
In many Polynesian languages, including Tongan, the word tonga comes from fakatonga, which means “southwards”, and the archipelago is so named because it is the southernmost group among the island groups of central Polynesia.
How many languages does Tonga speak?
The Tongan language is the official language, along with English. Tongan, a Polynesian language, is closely related to Wallisian (Uvean), Niuean, Hawaiian, and Samoan. Tongan is an Austronesian language of the Polynesian branch spoken in Tonga. It has around 187,000 speakers and is a national language of Tonga.
How many languages does Tonga have?
Tonga is home to two official languages: Tongan and English. While Tongan is the most-used language, English is a second language of most Tongans in Tonga’s most populated islands, like Tongatapu and Vava’u.
Who first settled Polynesia?
Linguistic evidence suggests that western Polynesia was first settled some 3,000 years ago, by people of the Lapita culture.
Are Tongan and Samoan languages similar?
Samoan is from the Austronesian family of languages. It is closely related to other Polynesian languages, especially Tongan. Here is a very cursory overview of the language and some vocabulary.
What are 3 cultural facts about Tonga?
Interesting facts about Tonga
- Tonga is an archipelago of 169 islands of which only 36 are inhabited.
- Tonga is the only Pacific country which was never colonised.
- Tonga is the home of the humpback whales.
- Sunday is a day of rest in Tonga.
- British explorer James Cook visited Tonga in 1773.