Wallisian

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A language of Wallis and Futuna

ISO 639-3

wls

Alternate Names

East Uvea, East Uvean, Uvean, Wallisien

Population

7,660 in Wallis and Futuna (2015 World Factbook). Total users in all countries: 8,440.

Location

Wallis Island.

Language Status

5 (Developing). De facto language of provincial identity in Wallis (Uvea) Island.

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, East Uvean-Niuafo’ou

Dialects

Some dialect divergence between Wallis Islands and New Caledonia. Not functionally intelligible with Tongan [ton].

Language Use

Used by all.

Language Development

Bible portions: 1971.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Wallisian

Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Also spoken in:

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New Caledonia

Language nameWallisian

Population Full

Ethnic population: 18,400. Ethnic population estimated from global population figure for Futunians and Wallisians (2009 census).

Location

South province: mainly Nouméa.

Alternate Names

East Uvean, Uvean, Wallisien

Status

6b (Threatened).

Language Use

Some young people, all adults. Also use Tayo [cks].

Other Comments

Non-indigenous. Originally from Uvea Island in Wallis and Futuna. Borrowed heavily from Tongan [ton]. Tongan increasingly influenced by English [eng] and Wallisian by French [fra]. Christian.

View other languages of New Caledonia

Ethnologue

Wallisian

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A language of Wallis and Futuna

Also spoken in:

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