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Niuatoputapu language
Polynesian language spoken in Tonga From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Niuatoputapu languague (Tongan: Lea Faka-Niuatoputapu) was a Polynesian language and the indigenous language of the people of Niuatoputapu, Tonga and possibly Tafahi, Tonga due to its close proximity. Sometime between the 18th to 19th century, it became extinct and its use was replaced by modern Tongan (Tongan: Lea Faka-Tonga), although small remnants of the old Niuatoputapu language can still be heard in the Tongan language spoken on Niuatoputapu and Tafahi today, as well as in the islands' geographic features. For example, the islet of Nukuseilala (Land of the Seilala Tree) appears to use the old Niuatoputapu and modern Samoan pronunciation of "seilala" instead of the modern Tongan "heilala".
The Niuatoputapu language is believed to have been very distinct from the modern Tongan and Niuafoʻou languages, being closely related instead to Samoan, East Futunan, Tokelauan, Tuvaluan and Pukapukan.
Practically all knowledge of the Niuatoputapu language comes from a word list of 32 words compiled by Jacob Le Maire in 1616 after visits to both Niuatoputapu and Tafahi.[1]
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Phonology
Vowels
The Niuatoputapu language, as with other Polynesian languages, is believed to have had five vowels with both long and short forms. On their own, each vowel is considered a monophthong.
| Short | Long | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Back | Front | Back | |
| Close | i | u | i: | u: |
| Mid | e | o | e: | o: |
| Open | a | a: | ||
Also similarly to other Polynesian languages, certain pairings of monophthongs may be used to form a corresponding diphthong, with common examples including ae, ai, ao, au, ou, and ei.
Consonants
The 10 known consonants of the Niuatoputapu language, plus possible usage of the glottal stop, are gathered from Le Maire's wordlist recorded in 1616 and parts of the language still in local use. These match very closely with the Futunan language.
- It is unknown if the glottal stop was present in the Niuatoputapu language as it is in modern Tongan. However, it does appear to be used in some Tongan words and names of Niuatoputapu origin, such as in Seketoʻa (a shark god of Niuatoputapu origin).
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Vocabulary
Summarize
Perspective
The following is a list containing the original Dutch and Niuatoputapu words recorded by Le Maire in 1616. The table also notes the each word's equivalent in modern Dutch, English, and the most likely interpretations of the Niuatoputapu words compared to neighbouring islands and languages still spoken today.
*most other Polynesian languages from the area around Niuatoputapu and Tafahi agree on the words for 'pig' and 'banana' being a form of puaka and futi/fuafuti respectively, despite Le Maire's use of the 'v' sound when recording these words. While it may possibly be an error of Le Maire's, due to the islands' seemingly close physical position and historic association with Fiji, the Fijian pronunciations of vuaka for 'pig' and vudi or vua vudi for 'banana' must also be considered as possibly occurring in the Niuatoputapu language.
†while Le Maire's interpretation of "Latou" was a senior or leading member of the Niuatoputapu and Tafahi people, it is perhaps more accurately known as the title name "Lātū" traditionally granted to the chiefs of Niuatoputapu until it was abandoned in favour of the chiefly title "Maʻatu" from the island of ʻUvea (Wallis) by Puakaʻilakelo, son of Lātūmailangi who had met with Le Maire and his companion, Schouten, in 1616.[5]
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Comparison with Futunan
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Perspective
Shortly after visiting Niuatoputapu and Tafahi islands, Le Maire and his expedition continued on to Futuna and Alofi islands of modern-day Wallis and Futuna where he recorded a larger list of words from the local Futunan language (Futunan: Le Māsau Fakafutuna) which is still spoken today. As the Futunan language is still in popular use in the 21st century, the Niuatoputapu and Futunan languages are believed to have been very close to each other, and both wordlists from Le Maire were collected within a short period of time, the Futunan language is able to offer perspective on the known aspects of the Niuatoputapu language and how they might look or might have sounded like. The table below offers a comparison between information about Le Maire's records, the Futunan language and the Niuatoputapu language.
References
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