'Tokelauan' is an
Austronesian language spoken by about 1,700 people on the atolls of
Tokelau, and by the few inhabitants of
Swains Island in neighbouring
American Samoa. It is a member of the
Samoic family of
Polynesian languages. It is, alongside
English, the official language of Tokelau. In addition to the population of Tokelau, it is spoken by approximately 2,900 Tokelauan expatriates in
New Zealand.
Tokelauan is intelligible with
Tuvaluan, the main language of the neighbouring island realm of
Tuvalu. It also has marked similarities to the
Niuafo'ou language of
Tonga.
Loimata Iupati,
Tokelau's resident Director of Education, is translating the
Bible from English into Tokelauan.
See also
★
Tuvaluan language
★
Niuafo'ou language
External links
★
Ethnologue report on Tokelauan
★
Mini-dictionary sponsored by Tokelau Magic
★
"Te Vaka" - A popular New Zealand music group that sings in the Tokelauan language
★ http://www.ling.su.se/pollinet/facts/tok.html