Tongan
A language of Tonga
| Population | 96,300 in Tonga (1998). Population total all countries: 126,390. |
| Region | Also in American Samoa, Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, Niue, United States, Vanuatu. |
| Language map |
Tonga |
| Alternate names | Tonga |
| Dialects | Similar to Niue [niu]. Slight dialect differences north to south. Lexical similarity: 86% with Wallisian [wls], 66% with Samoan [smo]. |
| Classification | Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Tongic |
| Language use | National language. Ethnic group predominantly monolingual in Tongan (1997 J. Siegel). |
| Language development | Newspapers. Radio programs. Dictionary. Bible: 1862–1966. |
| Writing system | Latin script. |
| Comments | VSO. Agriculturalists. |
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