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About Me and My Language
| I
am currently a Masters student studying Economics at the
University of Hawaii at
Manoa. I grew up in Niue however I left home to attend
univesirty at
17, and have been away from Niue for the majority of this time.
I
studied Economics at the University of the South Pacific in
Fiji. After
graduation, I worked at the South Pacific Applied Geoscience
Comission
(SOPAC) for one year. Following that I returned to Niue for 5
months
and worked in Govenrment. I returned to Fiji and worked at the
Forum
Secretariat for two years. I love the outdoors, especially the ocean. love being out on the ocean fishing and paddling. I have been paddling outrigger canoes competitively for more than 6 years. I hope to one day represent Niue at the international level. I am very proud of my heritage and culture, and I think that the Vagahau Niue is a cornerstone of that culture. |
| Your name (first, last) |
Deveraux Kolosefilo Palemia
Talagi |
| Contact Email | dtalagi08 at gmail dot com |
| Preferred name(s) of your language | Vagahau Niue |
| Alternative names | Niuean |
| Language classification | You can get this info from ethnologue.com |
| Geographical areas where spoken | Pacific, Niue Island |
| Approximate number of monolingual speakers | 7,760 |
| Other languages spoken in the area/country | English |
| Official language(s) in your country | Niuean, English |
| Does your language have a
widely accepted writing system? |
Yes |
| If yes, what materials are
written? |
Goverment Documents, Newpaper,
Educational Materials, Books |
| back to top | |
| Background of the Language Legends say that Niue was populated in three main streams from Tonga, Samoa and Pukapuka (in the Northern Cook Islands). As a result the Niuean language, or Vagahau Niue, is a composition of these three main languages. Niuean is spoken mainly on Niue. However, Niue has a large population in New Zealand and Australia and so it is spoken there as well. A lot of work is currently being done to ensure the language is continued through the next generation. One of the most important measures is that it has been formally included in the school curriculum. Programs in New Zealand and Australia aimed at teaching the younger generation have started. See www.vagahauniue.nu for more information.
I think that these findings are fairly consistent with my own experiences of the use of my language. |