Rotuman (Faeag Rotuma)

Rotuman is a member of the Oceanic branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family with about 9,000 speakers on the Rotuma islands

Rotuman was first written by French and English missionaries, who developed different spelling systems for the language. Today the system invented by the English Methodist missionary Reverend C. M. Churchward in the 1920s and 1930s is generally used. He also produced the "Rotuman Grammar and Dictionary".

Rotuman alphabet and pronunciation

Sample text in Rotuman (Lord's Prayer)

'Otomis Ö'faat täe 'e la.gi,
'Ou asa la äf'äk la ma'ma',
'Ou pureaga la leum, 'ou rere la sok,
fak ma 'e la.gi, la tape'ma 'e rä te'.
'Äe la naam se 'a.misa, 'e tera.nit e 'i,
ta 'etemis tela'a la taumar,
Ma 'äe la fa.u'a.kia te' ne 'otomis sara,
la fak ma ne 'a.mis tape'ma re va.hia se iris ne sar 'e 'a.misag.
Ma 'äe se hoa' 'a.mis se faksara; 'äe la sa.i'a.kia 'a.mis 'e raksa'a.
Ko pureaga, ma ne'ne'i, ma kolori, mou ma ke se 'äeag, se av se 'es gataag ne tore. 'Emen

Links

Information about the Rotuman language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotuman_language
http://www.rotuma.net/os/Language.html
http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/13/13-1879.html

Online Rotuman lessons
http://www.hawaii.edu/oceanic/rotuma/os/LanguageLessons/lessons.htm

Related languages

Balinese, Batak, Bikol, Bugis, Buhid, Cebuano, Cham, Chamorro, Drehu, Fijian, Filipino, Hanuno'o, Hawaiian, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Javanese, Kapampangan, Makasar, Malagasy, Malay, Mandar, Maori, Marshallese, Niuean, Rarotongan, Redjang, Rotuman, Samoan, Tagalog, Tagbanwa, Tahitian, Tongan, Tuvaluan, Waray-Waray, Yapese

Other languages written with the Latin alphabet