Tālofa lava! O le vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa.
Samoan Language Week starts on Sunday and Massey University is encouraging all staff and students to “give it a go”.
Samoan is the third most spoken language in New Zealand after English and te Reo Māori. The theme this year is “Lalaga le si’osi’omaga mo se lumana’I manuia”, which means “Weave an environment for a better future”.
To celebrate, here are some helpful greetings and phrases and email sign-offs:
To start your emails/conversations :
- Tālofa lava (greetings), pronounced Tah-law-fah lah-vah
- O ā mai oe? (How are you? – Oh-ah mai oh-eh?)
Common phrases you can use throughout an email/conversations:
- Fa'afetai lava (thank you – Fah-ah-feh-tah-I lah-vah)
- Fa’amolemole (please – Fah-ah-moh-leh-moh-leh)
- Mālo Lava (well done – Mah-loh Lah-vah)
To end an email/conversations:
- Tōfa soifua (goodbye – Tore-fah-soy-foo-ah)
- Manuia Le Vaiaso/Aso (have a great week/day – Mah-nu-ear Leh Vai-ah-soh/Ah-soh)
The Pacific Language Weeks started with Samoa in 2007 and have since been able to build up to include celebrating, promoting and raising awareness of seven of the languages.
The 2019 Language Week line-up begins with Samoan and ends with Tokelau Language Week in October. Although officially termed Language Weeks, all run for at least a month and some extend activities throughout the year.
Language Week dates:
- Samoa Language Week: Sunday May 26 – Saturday June 1 2019
- Cook Islands Language Week: Sunday August 4 – Saturday August 10 2019
- Tonga Language Week: Sunday September 1 – Saturday September 7 2019
- Tuvalu Language Week: Sunday September 29 – Saturday October 5 2019
- Fiji Language Week: Sunday October 6 – Saturday October 12 2019
- Niue Language Week: Sunday October 13 – Saturday October 19 2019
- Tokelau Language Week: Sunday October 27 – Saturday November 2 2019
Useful resources for Samoan Language Week:
Samoan language fact sheets
Gagana Sāmoa - Language activity book
Pacific Language cards