Rotuman language
Rotuman, also referred to as Rotunan, Rutuman or Fäeag Rotuạm (citation form: Faega Rotuma), is an Austronesian language spoken by the Indigenous people Rotuma in South Pacific. Linguistically, as well as culturally, Rotuma has had Polynesian-influence culture and incorporated as a dependency into the Colony of Fiji in 1881. The contemporary Rotuman language resulted following Samoan and Tongan incursions into Rotuma, which was initially inhabited by Tahitians.
| Rotuman | |
|---|---|
| Fäeag Rotuạm | |
| Native to | Fiji |
| Region | Rotuma |
| Ethnicity | Rotumans |
Native speakers | 7,500 (2002) |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Rotuma, Fiji |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | rtm |
| Glottolog | rotu1241 |
Rotuman is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
The Rotuman language has sparked much interest with linguists because the language uses metathesis to invert the ultimate vowel in a word with the immediately preceding consonant, resulting in a vowel system characterized by umlaut, vowel shortening or extending and diphthongization.
Unlike its Pacific neighbors, Rotuman is typically considered an AVO (agent–verb–object) language.