Language of the Week: Samoan
To celebrate Samoan Language Week which runs from 24th May to 1st June this year, here are ten facts about this beautiful language and nation, which many of us know very little about.
If you fancy giving it a try, you can now start learning Samoan for free with uTalk. And for this week only, we’ve reduced the price of the Essentials and Premium upgrades to £2.99 and £6.99 (usually £7.99 and £11.99).
10 Facts about Samoan
- Samoan is a member of the Polynesian language family, one of the oldest branches still in existence today.
- It’s the official language of Samoa, where it has approximately 200,000 native speakers.
- It’s also spoken in New Zealand, where it’s the third most-spoken language, after English and Māori.
- The Samoan language is written using a Latin-based alphabet.
- Samoan’s alphabet has just 14 letters: 5 vowels and 9 consonants. 3 more consonants – H, K and R – are used in loan words from other languages.
- The Samoan flag’s upper left quarter is blue and has five white, five-rayed stars representing the Southern Cross. The rest of the flag is red.
- Samoa consists of seven islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The two main islands are Savai’i and Upolu.
- It takes 20 hours to fly to Samoa from London.
- Lu’au is a traditional Samoan dish, consisting of coconut cream, onions and taro, wrapped in taro leaves and then cooked.
- Samoans are known throughout Polynesia as ‘happy people’.
5 Samoan proverbs
The Samoan language is full of proverbs and idioms; here are five of our favourites:
E pala le maʻa, a e le pala le upu
Translation: Even stones decay, but words endure.
A reminder of the damage that hurtful words can do.
Ia malu le vai i lou finagalo
Translation: May your mind be like cool water.
This phrase is used to ask someone for forgiveness if you’ve offended them.
Se’i fono le pa’a ma ona vae
Translation: Let the crab take counsel with its legs.
This proverb advises us to think things through before we take action.
Amuia le masina, e alu ma toe sau
Translation: Fortunate is the moon, to go and then return.TranslationHumans only get one life, unlike the moon; so we should make the most of it.
Humans only get one life, unlike the moon; so we should make the most of it.
Ua ‘afa le aso
Translation: A day for plaiting ‘afa.
A rainy day. ‘Afa is a plaited rope made from dried coconut fibres, and used in architecture and boat building.
We’ll be sharing more fun facts about Samoan as the week goes on…
Quote of the week: 23 May 2015
“You will never be completely free from life’s little annoyances, but you can become free from feeling annoyed.” Richard Carlson
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The emotional journey of a language learner
So. You’ve decided you want to speak another language. But as we all know, learning and knowing are two very different things, so brace yourself for the bumpy road ahead…
1. The optimistic early days
Hurrah! You’re going to learn a language, and it’s going to be easy, and fun, and you’re going to be fluent before you know it. Bring it on!
2. The study hours
So, with great enthusiasm, you buy books, download apps, spend days learning verb endings…
3. The reality check
Oh. Turns out this might not be as easy as you thought.
4. The tough days
Sometimes it’ll feel like nothing’s sinking in…
5. The lazy days
The sun’s out. Who wants to sit around studying? Let’s go to the beach!
6. The doubts
What if you make a mistake and embarrass yourself?
7. The panic
Or join in a conversation and then don’t understand a word?
8. The despair
You may even feel like giving up altogether.
But don’t – because it’s about to get good!
9. The first successful conversation
When you ask someone for an ice cream – and actually get what you asked for. The right flavour and everything…
10. The quiet satisfaction
When you impress people by telling them you speak another language.
11. That smug feeling
When you see a tourist struggling, and you can be the mysterious stranger who steps in and helps them out.
12. The sense of achievement
When you talk to someone in their language and they don’t immediately realise you’re from a different country.
And let’s not forget…
13. The new places you can discover
14. The new friends you’ll make
15. It even makes you smarter.
So what are you waiting for?
How do you learn a language? (Win an iPad mini!)
The survey and giveaway have now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part!
Language learners! We need your help. We want to know the different method(s) that you use whilst learning a language to accomplish your goals. This will enable us to improve and adapt to what you want.
The survey only takes approximately five minutes depending on how much you want to tell us (we are hoping lots). To say thank you for taking up your precious time, we’ll enter you into a prize draw to win an iPad mini, pre-installed with our app, uTalk, in the language of your choice. There are several different ways to enter, the more you do the greater your chance of winning the iPad mini.
Thanks for your time 🙂
And please share the link with friends and colleagues too – thank you!
The giveaway ends at midnight on June 17th 2015 (UK time), and is open worldwide to anyone aged 18 or older. The winner will be selected at random and notified by EuroTalk within 48 hours of the closing date.
Quote of the week: 16 May 2015
“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that colour your world.” Allen Klein
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