Samoan (Gagana Samoa)
Samoan is an Austronesian language spoken mainly in Western
Samoa and American Samoa by about 420,000 people. There are also
speakers of Samoan in Fiji, Tonga, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia
and the USA. Samoan is closely related to the other languages of
Polynesia, particularly to Tongan.
Samoan alphabet
Notes
- Vowels can be long or short. Long vowels are marked with a macron (ā).
- The letters K [k], H [h] and R [l] are also used, but only in foreign loanwords.
- Syllables consist of a vowel or a consonant plus a vowel. Consonants never
appear together or in syllable final position.
Sample text in Samoan
O tagata soifua uma ua saoloto lo latou fananau mai, ma e tutusa o
latou tulaga aloaia faapea a latou aia tatau. Ua faaeeina atu i a latou
le mafaufau lelei ma le loto fuatiaifo ma e tatau ona faatino le agaga
faauso i le va o le tasi i le isi.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another
in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Useful phrases in Samoan |
Tower of Babel in Samoan
Samoan language learning materials
Link
Information about the Samoan language
http://www.samoa.co.uk/samoan_language.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samoan_language
A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language, with English and Samoan vocabulary
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-PraDict.html