As a Samoan speaker, I can tell you that of all the languages I have heard, the one that is most similar to Gagana Samoa is the language of Tokelau. As in, I can listen to Radio Tokelau and understand around 90% or more of what they’re saying. As in, aside from a few swapped out letters (e.g. s for h), we might as well be speaking the same language!
Let’s talk about it.
Languages Related to Samoan
A lot of online resources will tell you that Samoan is most similar to Lea Faka-Tonga (Tongan), ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian) or Te Reo Māori, but I grew up around all three of these languages and while they are definitely related to Samoan, I can only understand around 50% to 60% when I hear them spoken, maybe more for Tongan (because I have Tongan-speaking family) …and then I start to tune out.
You know how that goes.
Still, 50% to 60% is a pretty high level of similarity, which makes sense. All of these languages belong to the Austronesian language family, and all these island nations I’ve mentioned belong to one region of the Pacific Ocean: the artist formerly (and kinda still) known as Polynesia.
By the way (side note):
The Thing About Polynesia
Back in the long ago days, European explorers mapped the islands of the Pacific and divided us into three general classifications: Polynesia because our islands are many (poly), Micronesia because their islands are so little (micro) and Melanesia because of their melanin-blessed people.
These days, lots of us in Oceania are not so in love with how we’ve been categorised and labeled by others, but we haven’t yet all agreed on what we should be called instead. We’re trying on names like Tangata o le Moana (the People of the Sea) or Tagata Pasefika (Pacific People)… and so far, I like those names.
But they don’t really take into account that, as much as we love to be communal and inclusive in the Island Way, distinct cultural and linguistic differences do exist between the three areas that the white people divided us into (I know because I’ve lived all over Oceania).
Anyway… I only bring this up to say that until we’ve found a unanimously, first-peoples’ agreed-on taxonomy for our various regions of the Pacific, I’m still going to refer to my neigbourhood as Polynesia.
Good?
Other Very Samoan-Sounding Languages
I’ve heard that the language of Futuna is also very similar to Samoan, but I have yet to confirm that with my own ears.
Some very helpful comments on our Facebook page informed me, though, that apparently, as with Tokelauan, most of Futuna’s words and sentences structures are also essentially the same as Samoan, but with a few swapped letter sounds again.
Also, the same source tells me, the language of Futuna’s sister island, Wallis (Uvea) is also quite similar to Samoan, although it’s known to be closer related to Tongan.
Another very similar language to Samoan is that of Tuvalu. From the little that I’ve heard so far of Tuvaluan, I’m pretty sure I can understand around 80% of it… but I would need to listen again to be sure.
It’s on my bucket list to visit all these areas of Pasefika someday to confirm for myself how closely related our languages are.
Gagana Samoa’s More Distant Relatives
As part of the Austronesian language family, Gagana Samoa is also related – just a lot more distantly – to the languages of Micronesia and Melanesia, which are part of different subgroups within the family.
I grew up on Saipan, and I’d say that as a Samoan speaker, I understand… maybe 20% of Chamorro, but that’s only because I learned Spanish and Japanese in school and the Northern Mariana Islands were heavily influenced by those cultures.
But we DO have the odd similar word here and there. When I remember one, I’ll let you know.
What surprised me most are the similarities I’ve heard of between Samoan and a few indigenous languages of Southeast Asia, like in the Philipines and Taiwan. For example, counting to ten in the language of Taiwan’s Puyama Tribe sounds so much like counting in Samoan!
And the Puyama people and us apparently have a lot of cultural similarities as well. Check out this great article at Keelung For a Walk where one Tuvaluan traveller discovers a surprising Polynesian connection with indigenous Taiwan.