Samoan

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A language of Samoa

ISO 639-3
smo
Population

199,000 in Samoa (1999). Population total all countries: 364,257.

Location

Also in American Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Tonga, United States.

Language Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1960, Constitution, Article 54).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, Samoic-Outlier, Samoan
Dialects

No significant dialect variation, but important register-based distinctions in phonology. Lexical similarity: 70% with Wallisian [wls], 67% with Rarotongan [rar], 66% with Tongan [ton].

Typology

VSO

Language Development
New media. Dictionary. Bible: 1855–1970.
Writing
Latin script.
Other Comments

Christian.

Also spoken in:

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