178,000 (1995); 86% Samoan. Independent State of Western Samoa, Malotuto'atasi o Samoa i Sisifo. Literacy rate 90% to 99%. 2 large islands, several smaller ones. Christian, Baha'i. The number of languages listed for Western Samoa is 2.
ENGLISH [ENG] 322,000,000 in all countries (1995 WA). Indo-European, Germanic, West, North Sea, English. National language. Bible 1535-1989. NT 1525-1985. Bible portions 1530-1987.
SAMOAN [SMY] 153,000 in Samoa, 86% of population (1995); 38,700 in American Samoa; 30,000 to 35,000 in Hawaii (1996); 90,000 on USA west coast; 50,000 in New Zealand; possibly 300 to 1,000 in Fiji; 362,000 in all countries. Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, Samoic-Outlier, Samoan. 70% lexical similarity with Wallisian, 67% with Rarotongan, 66% with Tongan, 62% with Paumotu. No significant dialect variations, but important register-based distinctions in the phonology. Typology: VSO. Agriculturalists. Christian. Braille code available. Bible 1855-1970. NT 1846-1982. Bible portions 1836-1847.
Part of the Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor.
Copyright © 1996, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc. All rights reserved.
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