‘O le gagana t ma le gagana k

‘O le gagana t ma le gagana k

So’o se gagana lava e iai ona suiga. O nei suiga e afua mai la tā fa’aaogāina ‘o le gagana. ‘O la tā fa’aaogāina fo’i o le gagana, e afua mai i lo tā fa’asinomaga. Mo le Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa 2020, ua matou vala’auliaina ai le Susūga ia Le’ausālilō Lupematasila Fata ‘Au’afa Dr. Sadat Muaiava e fa’asoa i lana su’esu’ega sa fai mo lana fa’ailoga ‘o le Foma’i ‘o le Tōfā Manino, lea sa ia sa’ili’ili ai ‘i suiga ‘o le gagana Samoa mai le tausaga e 1906 seia o’o i le tausaga e 2014. ‘O Le’ausālilō ‘olo’o faiāoga nei i le Mataupu Tau Samoa i le Iunivesite o Vitoria, Uelegitone, i Niu Sila. 

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O la ta gagana e afua mai i le tafalasi o lo ta faasinomaga. O nei faasinomaga (poo le siosiomaga/siosiomiaga) e tofu ma vaogagana1. I le gagana Samoa lava ia, e iai ni vaega oloo fai ma alafua o le gagana faaleo ma le gagana tusitusi. O nei vaega o le tautala lelei ma le tautala leaga2.

O le tautala lelei ma le tautala leaga e mafai ona faamatalaina o gagana faaleo i totonu o sauniga mamalu a le atunu’u e pei o le lotu ma vaega aloa’ia e pei o tusitusiga, ma le gagana o aso uma3.

Mo se faataitaiga, o le faaleoga o le upu tapuā’iga i totonu o sauniga mamalu e pei o le lotu e faaleo i le ti (ft. tāpuā’iga) a’o lona faaleoga i le gagana o aso ‘uma e tele na faa’aogāi ai le ka (ft. kapuā’iga).

An aged sepia photo of a man in a lavalava leaning on a stick and holding a baton with a tassle at the end. In the background is a Sāmoan fale with a flax roof
Elderly Man with Fue, by Thomas Andrew. Gift of Alison Beckett and Robert McPherson, 1996. Te Papa (O.001379/01)

O mau esesese i le afuaga o gagana fa’aleo

Oloo iai ni mau eseese i le afuaga o ia faaleoga e lua. O le mau muamua e faapea o le gagana ti o le gagana faaleo lea a le atunuu mai anamua ae lei taunuu papālagi ma misionare4.

O le mau lona lua e faapea, o le gagana faaleo o le ka na afua pe sa nonō mai i le gagana a Toga mai fesootaiga a le atunuu ma tagata Toga i le tele o aso ‘ua mavae. Mo ē oloo lagolagoina lea mau, oloo taoto le pine pe’ā faatusatusa gagana fa’aleo a Samoa ma Toga.

Mo se fa’ata’ita’iga, i le gagana a Toga ‘olo’o fa’aaogaina ai le mata’itusi ‘o le ka e fa’aleo ai so’ovaueli (ft. fakaToga). ‘Ae a tu’u mai i la tā gagana oloo faailogaina le faaleoga o soovaueli ‘i le faaaogaina o le koma liliu (ft. Fa’asamoa).

Ma le toe mau e fa’apea, ‘o le fa’amauina e misionare i a lātou tusitusiga ‘o nei gagana fa’aleo e lua oloo ta’u manino mai ai ua leva ona iai nei faaleoga ma sa le’i iai se agaga lē manuia i le fa’atinoga o a lātou faamaumauga.

A wooden baton with a flax tassle at the end that looks like a horses tail. The baton has silver caps at both ends.
Fue (fly whisk), 1900s, Sāmoa, horsehair, wood. Gift of Mrs Alice Hunt, 2000. Te Papa (FE011563)

A ta aofai uma mau e pei ona tā’ua, oloo manino le mata o le vai sa iai le sao a misionare i le fa’atulagaina o le gagana e pei ona latou fa’aofiina ai o mataitusi o le he, ka ma le ro mo le  faafaigofieina o le nonō o upu mai isi gagana5. O le vailiu lea, ou te taofi na afua ma mafua ai ona faalauaitele le faaaogaina o le ka i le gagana fa’aleo (ma nisi o upu o le gagana tusitusi e pei o upu nonō).

O le fa’atulagaina ‘o le gagana fa’aaogā i le lotu ma le aganu’u

Ou te le lagolagoina le taofi a Milner e faapea sa lelei atoatoa le agaga na faatulaga ma faaaogaina ai le gagana faaleo o le ka e misionare ma nisi o tagata papalagi sa nafa ma le taumafaiga o le gagana e fai ma gagana aloa’ia i ona vaega e pei ona iai.

I so’u manatu, o le faaofiina o le gagana faaleo o le ka o se taumafaiga sa faatino ina ia faaititia ai le tāua e lē gata o le gagana, a’o tu ma aga fa’asāmoa. Mo se faataitaiga, sa faatulaga ma fa’amalosia e misionare le fa’aaogāina o le gagana faaleo o le ti i totonu o le lotu ae faaaogā le gagana fa’aleo o le ka e fai ma gagana momoli o tu ma aga faasāmoa.

E pei o le mafuaaga foi lea ua masani ai lo tou faafofoga ma la’u faalogo i le faaaogaina o ia gagana faaleo i le lotu ma o tatou aganu’u ma aga’ifanua. O le mafuaaga lava foi lea e tasi ua ‘avea ai le gagana faaleo o le ti ma gagana o tusitusiga ma fa’amaumauga.

Peita’i, ‘ua iai ni isi, e pei o tulatia o le atunuu, ‘ua latou faaaogaina le gagana faaleo o le ti e momoli ai a latou lauga fa’asāmoa. Ae e ui ona o lea, e fou pea i le faalogo pe’ā oo ina faatino ia tūlaga.

A black, leather-bound book on a white background. The gold writing on the front is in Sāmoan and says O le tusi paia. It has a pink ribbon at the base.
Bible, Gift of Reverend Ete, 1995. Te Papa (FE010401)

I le tau faai’ui’u o se manatu, ua le o toe po malaē o le tele lava o taimi e lē ō gatasi ai talitonuga i le afuaga ma le faatulagaina o le gagana ma lo tatou faaaogaina i aso fai so’o.

O le upu moni lava ia, ua tele ina vaavaalua le faaaogaina o nei gagana faaleo e le gata i sauniga mamalu i totonu o le lotu (vaganā ai le pulela’a oloo faaaogāina pea e le tele of fa’afeagaiga le gagana faaleo o le ti), a’o le momoliga o a ta tū ma aga.

O pine ia ua ‘atalua nei le gagana ti ma le gagana i le tele o mea fai a le atunuu. E taua tele lea vaega o la tā gagana. E taua ona o le gagana o le fuiono oloo momoli mai ai ni ata o le talafaasolopito o la ta faasinomaga.

Soifua ma ia manuia.

A red necklace made from closely strung pandanus pods. It is sitting on a white background.
‘ulafala (pandanus key necklace), plant material. Te Papa (FE013200)

Alagā’oa

1 Fishman, J. A. (1973). Language and nationalism two integrative essays. Rowley, Mass. Newbury House Publishers. p. 68
2 Pratt, G. (1862). Pratts Grammar Dictionary and Samoan Language. Malua Printing Press. Sāmoa.; Duranti, A. (1990). Code Switching and Conflict Management in Samoan Multiparty Interaction. Pacific Studies 14(1), p. 1.;  Mosel, U. and E. Hovdhaugen (1992). Samoan Reference Grammar. Scandanavian University Press. Oslo.;  Hunkin, G. (2009). Gagana Sāmoa: A Samoan Language Coursebook. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.;  Milner, G. B. (2012). Samoan Dictionary. Auckland New Zealand, Pasifika Press.
3 Duranti, A. (1990). Code Switching and Conflict Management in Samoan Multiparty Interaction. Pacific Studies 14(1), p. 1., p.4; Mosel, U. and E. Hovdhaugen (1992). Samoan Reference Grammar. Scandanavian University Press. Oslo
4 Milner, G. B. (2012). Samoan Dictionary. Auckland New Zealand, Pasifika Press. p. xv
5 Horst, C. (1986). A lexicon of foreign loan-words in the Gagana. Kolner ethnologische. Mitteilungen. , p. vxi

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4 Comments

  1. You had a great explanation of how we Samoans talked long ago, so proud to had this people to explain our history

  2. I want to find the meaning of Gagana o aso uma, Gagana faaaloalo, Gagana faafailauga, in samoa


  3. Liliu ile gagana tusitusi
    Sou alu laa po

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