Monday, 31 May 2010

“English is creeping into the Samoan churches, as there is an assumption that New Zealand born Samoans won’t understand Samoan—and many don’t,” says Salainaoloa Wilson, who recently submitted her MA thesis in Pacific Studies, through Victoria’s Va’aomanu Pasifika programme.

“My research found fewer young people are learning the language at home because many Samoan parents work long hours as they work multiple jobs or do shift work.”

Ms Wilson’s research explored the perceptions of a group of Wellington-based Samoan students, their Samoan teachers, and their parents about the place of the Samoan language in New Zealand today.

“I was interested in the subject after looking at census data which showed language loss was occurring, and that this seemed to be more prevalent amongst the New Zealand-born Samoan population.”

In 1996 48 percent of New Zealand-born Samoans reported being able to hold a conversation in Samoan, but in 2006 this dropped to 44 percent.

“This might not sound significant, but because New Zealand has the biggest Samoan population outside of Samoa this is quite a worrying statistic.

“Even in Samoa, there is more of a bilingual focus because English is the preferred language in education, commerce and, to some extent, government. Nowadays you can often hear English being spoken when you walk down the street in Apia – and even in more isolated regions.
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Posted on: Sunday, July 12, 2009. By Caryn Kunz, Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai’i's first Samoan language school for children is moving forward, one step at a time.

Founded last October by Elisapeta Tu’upo-Alaimaleata and initially serving a handful of students out of the garage of First Samoan Methodist’s the Rev. Nu’utele Vae’ena, Le Fetuao Samoan Language School has slowly and successfully grown over the past eight months.

Thanks to a parent donation, the school now has a home at Island Family Christian Church in Salt Lake, where free lessons in Samoan language and culture are taught for two hours each Saturday.

“It’s amazing how we started off at a garage, now at a church and our dream is a real classroom location,” said Tu’upo-Alaimaleata. “We need to think big.”

Le Fetuao, which offers instruction to children from preschool through middle school, uses an interactive, positive curriculum. Each month, the school invites a Samoan speaker or goes on a field trip to address a monthly theme.

As part of the school’s June theme, Manu ma meaola (animals and other living creatures), the school visited the Honolulu Zoo. During the trip, students used Samoan words to describe the various animals’ characteristics, diet, habitat and physical traits.
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