Tongan, Official language in Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tongan is an Austronesian language that uses 14 Latin letters with special diacritics and glottal stops affecting meaning and pronunciation. Vowels can be short or long, with a small line above the letter marking the lengthening that often changes the sense of a word entirely.
Dutch sailors recorded the first words of this language in 1616 when Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire sailed through the Pacific. Missionaries later developed a writing system in the 19th century that brought oral tradition into printed form.
The language uses different words depending on the social rank of the person being addressed, shaping everyday conversation. Even simple terms for eating or sleeping change according to whether one speaks to a dignitary or a friend.
Around 187,000 people speak this language, mainly in Tonga and within larger communities in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Travelers hear it daily at markets, shops, and public events throughout the island group.
Sentence structure follows verb–subject–object order, unlike most European languages. Telephone numbers are spoken using a separate counting system that differs from everyday counting.
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