Niuafoʻou language
Niuafoou, or Niuafoʻouan, is the language spoken on Tonga's northernmost island, Niuafoou.
Niuafoʻouan has traditionally been classified as closest to Uvean and Tokelauan, in an East Uvean–Niuafoʻou branch. However, recent research suggests that it is closest to its neighbour, Tongan, as one of the Tongic languages. Niuafoou is partly mutually intelligible with Tongan. Information is scarce about the language, with little published sources available.
Phonology
The phonology of Niuafoʻou is similar to that of Tongan, with twelve consonants and five vowel phonemes.| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal | |
| Nasal | ||||
| Plosive | ||||
| Fricative | ||||
| Lateral |
Vowels are more centralized when unstressed. and are de-voiced under some conditions.
Sometimes the phoneme is realized as a apico-alveolar flap. is only realized as at the beginning of words. In the middle of words, it is either or.
Syllable structure
Niuafoʻou has a very simple syllable structure, V. However, it is apparently transitioning towards allowing consonant clusters, due to the influence of foreign languages and the de-voicing of vowels.Status
In a 1980 article in The Journal of the Polynesian Society, T. S. Dye states that speakers of Niuafoou are bilingual and able to speak Tongan easily. Dye remarked that the increasing influence of the Tongan language, specifically with children learning it at schools, would mean that the language of Niuafoou would eventually become Tongan.In September 2022 language campaigners called for it to be taught in primary schools on Niuafo’ou. Per Ethnologue, the Niuafoou language is not known to be taught in schools. Ethnologue considers Niuafoou to be an endangered language.