This article is about the languages of Tuvalu. For other uses, see Tuvaluan (disambiguation).
Polynesian language spoken in Tuvalu
Tuvaluan
Te Ggana Tuuvalu
Native to
Tuvalu, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand
Native speakers
11,000 in Tuvalu (2015)[1] 2,000 in New Zealand (2013 census)[1]
Language family
Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian
Oceanic
Polynesian
Ellicean
Tuvaluan
Writing system
Latin script
Official status
Official language in
Tuvalu
Language codes
ISO 639-2
tvl
ISO 639-3
tvl
Glottolog
tuva1244
ELP
Tuvaluan
IETF
tvl-TV
Tuvaluan is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
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Recording of Paulo, a speaker of Tuvaluan
Tuvaluan (/ˌtuːvəˈluːən/),[2] often called Tuvalu, is a Polynesian language closely related to the Ellicean group spoken in Tuvalu. It is more or less distantly related to all other Polynesian languages, such as Hawaiian, Māori, Tahitian, Samoan, Tokelauan and Tongan, and most closely related to the languages spoken on the Polynesian Outliers in Micronesia and Northern and Central Melanesia. Tuvaluan has borrowed considerably from Samoan, the language of Christian missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[3][4]
The population of Tuvalu is approximately 10,645 people (2017 Mini Census),[5] but there are estimated to be more than 13,000 Tuvaluan speakers worldwide. In 2015 it was estimated that more than 3,500 Tuvaluans live in New Zealand, with about half that number born in New Zealand and 65 percent of the Tuvaluan community in New Zealand is able to speak Tuvaluan.[6]
^Munro, D. (1996). "The Covenant Makers: Islander Missionaries in the Pacific". In Munro, D.; Thornley, A. (eds.). Samoan Pastors in Tuvalu, 1865-1899. Suva, Fiji, Pacific Theological College and the University of the South Pacific. pp. 124–157.
^Ministry of Education and Sports; Ministry of Finance and Economic Development; United Nations System in the Pacific Islands (April 2013). "Tuvalu: Millennium Development Goal Acceleration Framework – Improving Quality of Education" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
^"Tuvalu Language Week kicks off today". TV3. MediaWorks TV. 27 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
Tuvaluan (/ˌtuːvəˈluːən/), often called Tuvalu, is a Polynesian language closely related to the Ellicean group spoken in Tuvalu. It is more or less distantly...
for Tuvaluans. The Tuvaluanlanguage and English are the national languages of Tuvalu. Tuvaluan is of the Ellicean group of Polynesian languages, distantly...
Tuvaluan can mean: The Tuvaluanlanguage, an Austronesian language spoken in Tuvalu, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru and New Zealand Anything to do with the Oceanian...
Asplenium nidus is an epiphytic species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae, native to tropical southeastern Asia, eastern Australia, Hawaii (ʻēkaha in...
in Tuvaluan. The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from Samoa and Tonga into the Tuvaluan atolls...
'children' layang-layang /lajaŋ lajaŋ/ > /lːajaŋ/ 'kite' The Polynesian languageTuvaluan allows for word-initial geminates, such as mmala 'overcooked'. In...
Türkmenistan Bitaraplygyň watanydyr!). Tuvalu: Tuvalu for the Almighty (Tuvaluan: Tuvalu mo te Atua). Uganda: For God and My Country (Swahili: kwa mungu...
clothing and traditional handicrafts such as the decoration of mats and fans. Tuvaluan clothing was traditionally made from Fala leaves (Screw Pine or Pandanus)...
independent from the United Kingdom. Afaese Manoa See Help:IPA and Tuvaluanlanguage § Phonology. "National Anthems of the Commonwealth: Melbourne 2006...
development of the Tuvaluanlanguage. The missionaries introduced church hymns and European song structures and melodies started to influence Tuvaluan music. However...
dependencies along with their capital cities, in English and non-English official language(s). In bold: internationally recognized sovereign states The 193 member...
2022. [we] can further define the word culture to mean language. Thus we have the French language part of Oceania, the Spanish part and the Japanese part...
bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots", bananas, breadfruit and coconut. Tuvaluans also eat seafood, including coconut crab, fish from the lagoon and ocean...
Dusun Tangara, is a dialect of the Central Dusun as well as a minority language primarily spoken in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the primary dialect spoken by...
Religion in national symbols can often be found in national anthems or flags. This has led to controversy in some secular states in regard to the separation...
Prime Minister of Tuvalu Ulu o te Malo o Tuvalu (Tuvaluan) Coat of Arms of Tuvalu State Flag of Tuvalu Incumbent Feleti Teo since 26 February 2024 Style...
in American Samoa. It is closely related to Tuvaluan and is related to Samoan and other Polynesian languages. Tokelauan has a co-official status with English...
The Tuvaluan New Zealand community consists of 4,653 Tuvaluans ethnic people living in New Zealand. About 46% of them were born overseas and nearly 80%...
Samoic languages, and is derived from Samoan) Tuvaluanlanguage (belongs to the group of Samoic languages, and is closely related to Samoan) Samoan unification...
minority languages in Fiji (such as Chinese varieties, Arabic, Western Fijian, Gilbertese, Rotuman, Tuvaluan, and other present Indian languages), influence...
multi-cultural upbringing. However, some songs are also written in Samoan and Tuvaluanlanguages, which are the native tongues of most of the other band members. As...
is a list of endangered languages of Oceania, based on the definitions used by UNESCO. An endangered language is a language that it is at risk of falling...
were predominantly Samoans, who influenced the development of the Tuvaluanlanguage and the music of Tuvalu. Westbrook, a trader on Funafuti, reported...
native language of the country (or the official name in the second-most used native language in cases where English is the majority "native" language). Assuming...
ethnicity with approximately 5.6% of the population being Micronesian. Tuvaluans are ethnically related to the people of Samoa and Tonga. There is evidence...
The Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu (Tuvaluan: Te Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu, EKT), commonly the Church of Tuvalu, is a Christian church which...
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