Tyler Wynn
The Samoan language, also known as Gagana Samoa, is spoken by the people of Samoa, a group of islands in the southern hemisphere of the Pacific Ocean. Samoan uses a phonetic alphabet introduced by missionaries, consisting of 14 letters: five vowels and nine consonants. Each letter represents a distinct sound. The Samoan language does not include voiced stops /b/, /d/, or /g/, and the letter g is pronounced ng, similar to the sound in the middle of the word sing. While the Samoan language does not have the th sound, it does have unique features that can be challenging for English speakers to master.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of letters in the alphabet | 14 native letters, 15 including the glottal stop |
| Number of vowels | 5 |
| Number of consonants | 9 |
| Presence of voiced obstruents | Limited use, no voiced stops /b/, /d/, or /g/ |
| Presence of "th" sound | Not mentioned |
| Vowel length | Phonemic, with short and long forms |
| Consonant similarity to English | Same as English, except for "g", which is pronounced "ng" |
| G sound pronunciation | Similar to the "ng" sound in "singer" or "ping" |
| Glottal stop | Present, treated as a consonant |
| Syllable structure | Simple, consisting of either a vowel or consonant + vowel |
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What You'll Learn
Samoan has a small inventory of phonemes
The Samoan language, also known as Gagana Samoa, is spoken by the people of Samoa, a group of islands in the southern hemisphere of the Pacific Ocean. Samoan has a small inventory of phonemes, with 14 native letters in its alphabet and three additional letters (H, K, and R) used in loanwords. The language has five vowels, each with a short and long sound, and the long sound is marked by a line above the vowel called a macron (fa'amamafa). The vowels in Samoan are pronounced similarly to those in Spanish, and the consonants are similar to English consonants, except for the G, which sounds like the "ng" in "singer," and the P, which is closer to the English B sound.
The glottal stop (') is also used in Samoan and is treated as a consonant. The Samoan alphabet originally included the glottal stop as a letter, bringing the total number of letters to 15, but it is no longer included in the alphabet. Loanwords from English and other languages have been adapted to Samoan phonology, and colloquial Samoan exhibits some unique pronunciation features. For example, in colloquial Samoan, the consonants /n ŋ/ merge as [ŋ] and /t/ is pronounced [k], while in formal Samoan, /t n ŋ/ are used.
The Samoan language has a unique feature where vowel length is phonemic, and the long form of vowels is denoted by the macron. This means that the vowel length can change the meaning of a word. For example, "tama" means "child" or "boy," while "tamā" means "father." Additionally, the combination of the letter "u" followed by a vowel in some words creates the sound of the English "w," which is not a part of the Samoan alphabet. For instance, the word "uaua" (artery, tendon) has a "w" sound.
Samoan vocabulary is Polynesian in origin and borrows some words from English, such as "kolisi" (college) and "nusipepa" (newspaper). The language also utilizes reduplication to express plurality, frequency, or augmentation. For example, "pona" means "knot," while "ponapona" means "knotty." While Samoan has some unique features that can be challenging for learners, it is not considered the most difficult language for English speakers to learn.
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Samoan's consonants and vowels
The Samoan alphabet, also known as Le Pī Samoa or Le Pi Tautau, consists of 14 to 17 letters, depending on the source. It includes 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 10 consonants (f, g, l, m, n, p, s, t, v, 'okina). The 'okina, represented by a reversed apostrophe or koma liliu, indicates a glottal stop, which is treated as a consonant. The Samoan alphabet also includes three borrowed letters: h, k, and r, which are used in foreign loanwords.
In Samoan, each of the vowels has a short and a long sound. The long sound is indicated by a line called a macron (or fa'amamafa) above the vowel. For example, the word "tama" with two short "a" sounds means "boy," while "tamā," with a long "ā" sound, means "father." This difference in vowel length can change the meaning of a word, so it is important in the Samoan language.
The Samoan syllable structure is (C)V, where V may be long or a diphthong. A diphthong is a combination of two vowels that create a new sound, such as "au," "ai," or "ae." Every syllable in Samoan ends in a vowel, and no syllable consists of more than three sounds (one consonant and two vowels forming a diphthong).
There are two styles of speaking in Samoan: T-style (formal) and K-style (colloquial). The T-style is used in formal situations and is generally how learners start to speak the language. The K-style is more common in everyday conversations, and the consonants are changed slightly. For example, the "/t/ sound in T-style may become a [k] sound in K-style, so the word "tama" ("boy") would be pronounced "kama" in K-style.
The Samoan consonant that differs the most from English is the letter G, which is pronounced like the 'ng' sound in "hanger" or "singer." The P consonant is also slightly different, being closer to the English B sound.
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Samoan's simple syllabic structure
The Samoan language, also known as Gagana Samoa, is a Polynesian language spoken by the people of Samoa, a group of islands in the southern hemisphere of the Pacific Ocean. Samoan is written with an adapted version of the Latin alphabet and consists of 15 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 10 consonants (f, g, l, m, n, p, s, t, v, ʻ). The letter ʻ, called the okina, indicates the glottal stop, which is treated as a consonant. The Samoan alphabet also includes the letters h, k, and r, which are only used in writing loanwords.
Samoan syllable structure follows a (C)V format, where V may be long or a diphthong. Every syllable ends in a vowel, and no syllable consists of more than three sounds: one consonant and two vowels, with the two vowels forming a diphthong (e.g., fai, mai, tau). Roots are sometimes monosyllabic but are more commonly disyllabic or polysyllabic, with polysyllabic words being mostly derived or compound words.
Vowel length is phonemic in Samoan, and all five vowels have a long form denoted by a line above the vowel called a macron (fa'amamafa). For example, the word "tama" means child or boy, while "tamā" means father. The combination of the letter u followed by a vowel in some words creates the sound of the English w, which is not part of the Samoan alphabet, as in "uaua" (artery, tendon).
Samoan distinguishes four degrees of proximity/distance to the speaker and listener, such as "lenei" ('this', close to the speaker) and "lela" ('that', far from both the speaker and listener). The normal word order in Samoan sentences is verb-subject-object, and a common feature is topicalization, or the placement of the topic or focus at the beginning of sentences.
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Samoan's limited use of voiced obstruents
The Samoan language, also known as Gagana Samoa, is a Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. It is the official language of Samoa and American Samoa, with around 500,000 speakers worldwide, making it the most widely spoken Polynesian language by native speakers.
Samoan has a restricted consonant inventory and does not include voiced stops /b/, /d/, or /g/. This limited use of voiced obstruents means that English phonemes like /v/, /z/, /ʃ/, /θ/, /ð/, and /ɹ/ may be replaced with the nearest Samoan equivalent or omitted. For example, the English word "bed" might be realised as "pet" in Samoan.
The Samoan alphabet consists of 14 native letters, with the glottal stop sometimes counted as a fifteenth letter. The alphabet later borrowed the letters H, K, and R from English, primarily for use in loanwords and colloquial or informal speech. The letter G is also used in Samoan but represents a velar nasal, as in the English word "sing," rather than a voiced velar stop as in "go."
The Samoan language has phonological differences between formal and informal speech, as well as a ceremonial form used in oratory. Formal Samoan is used when addressing someone of high social status or during ceremonies, while the casual form is used for everyday conversations. The language also has a simple, phonetic alphabet, with each letter representing a distinct sound, making reading and writing more accessible.
While Samoan has some unique features that can be tricky for English speakers to master, it does not have any phonetic voiced obstruents. This characteristic is shared by several other languages, including Danish, Korean, Cantonese, and certain dialects of Mandarin.
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Samoan's glottal stop
The Samoan language, also known as Gagana faʻa Sāmoa or Gagana Sāmoa, is a Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Samoan is the third most widely spoken language in New Zealand and is also widely spoken in Australia and the United States.
The Samoan alphabet consists of 14 letters, with three additional letters (H, K, and R) used in loanwords. The Samoan alphabet includes the glottal stop, which is represented by the ʻokina (koma liliu) or ʻ. The glottal stop is a type of consonantal sound produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract or glottis. It is used in many spoken languages and is treated as a consonant in Samoan.
The glottal stop is denoted by a rotated apostrophe, ⟨ʻ⟩, in many Polynesian languages that use the Latin alphabet. In Samoan, the glottal stop is recognised by Samoan scholars and the wider community and is often replaced by an apostrophe in modern publications. The use of the apostrophe and macron diacritics in Samoan words was readopted by the Ministry of Education in 2012 after being abandoned in the 1960s.
The glottal stop is important in Samoan as its presence or absence can change the meaning of words that are otherwise spelled the same. For example, leʻi means "no, not at all," while "lei" means "child." The glottal stop also affects the pronunciation of vowels. For instance, tama means "child or boy," while "tamā" means "father."
Samoan has unique features that can be challenging for English speakers to master. The use of diacritical marks, such as the macron and the ʻokina, is essential for preserving the correct pronunciation of words and preventing alterations that can occur over time.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the Samoan language does not include voiced stops /b/, /d/, or /g/.
The Samoan alphabet does not include the letters "b", "c", "d", h, j, k, q, r, x, or z.
Samoan, or Gagana Samoa in the Samoan language, is the native language of Samoa and is widely spoken by locals. It falls under the Samoic branch of Polynesian languages and is spoken by people in Samoa, American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S.
