Satawalese is a Micronesian language of the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states compri ...

. It is nearly intelligible with

Mortlockese Mortlockese (Kapsen Mwoshulók), also known as Mortlock or Nomoi, is a language that belongs to the Chuukic languages, Chuukic group of Micronesian languages in the Federated States of Micronesia spoken primarily in the Mortlock Islands (Nomoi Isl ...

Introduction

History

Satawalese is a language spoken on the island of

Satawal Satawal is a solitary coral atoll of one island with about 500 people on just over 1 km2 located in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Satawal is t ...

, located in the

. The language is also spoken in Yap State, nearby atolls and islands such as

Lamotrek Lamotrek is a coral atoll of three islands in the central Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia. The atoll is located approximately east of Elato. The pop ...

Woleai Woleai, also known as Oleai, is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the western Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in the Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west- ...

Puluwat Poluwat, also Polowat, formerly Puluwat, is a coral atoll and a municipality of Chuuk state, Federated States of Micronesia. Geography Polowat is located in the northwestern region ( Oksoritod), and there in the western area (Pattiw) of Chuuk ...

Pulusuk Pulusuk or Houk Island is a village and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. It is a small island that lies at the end of a long submerged atoll. Pulusuk is part of the Pattiw group, located to the west of Chuu ...

, and Chuuk State. Smaller populations of speakers can also be found in

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 est ...

, the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwe ...

, and some parts of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. According to a 1987 census, Satawalese is spoken by approximately 460 people however this number has grown, according to a count taken by researcher Kevin Roddy who reported for about 700 speakers in 2007.

Classification

Satawalese is identified as an

Austronesian Austronesian may refer to: *The Austronesian languages *The historical Austronesian peoples The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, M ...

language and is a member of the Chuukic language subgroup. Discovered by scholar Edward Quackenbush, the Chuukic subgroup is a

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that ...

chain composed of a variety of about 17 different languages and dialects extending 2,100 kilometers across the western Pacific (Roddy, 2007). This chain begins at Chuuk in the east and stretches towards Sonsorol in the west. In the center of this dialect continuum lies Satawalese. Using the comparative method, which involves the observation of vocabulary and sound correspondence similarities, linguists were able to link Satawalese as well as its sister languages to the Chuukic language family. Sister languages of Satawalese include Carolinian, Chuukese,

Mapia Mapia Atoll (Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Mapia''), historically known as the Freewill Islands or San David, is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It is located in Papua province of Indonesia, approximately 290 kilometers north of the city of Manokwar ...

, Namonuito, Paafang, Puluwatese, Sonsorol,

Tanapag Tanapag is a settlement on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is located close to Tanapag Beach on the northwest coast, just to the north of Capital Hill, the island group's center of government. It lies on the Marpi Road ( ...

, Tobian, Ulithian, and Woleaian.

Sounds

Consonants

Satawalese language contains 13 specific consonants. /p/, /f/, /m/, /w/, /n/, /t/, /s/, /r/, /j/, /k/, /t͡ʃ/, /ŋ/, /ɻ/ The existence of the

phoneme In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language. For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-wes ...

is debated in Satawalese. Some scholars believe the phoneme to be an allophone of the phoneme . It is suggested that in Satawalese language both phonemes can be interchanged without changing the meaning of a word. Opposing studies suggest to be its own separate phoneme. Because of evidence that shows use of on its own within Satawalese speech, the suggestion that it is its own phoneme has a stronger stance. The phoneme in Satawalese has been identified as an allophone for the phoneme due to influence of surrounding languages. is not included in the Satawalese phoneme inventory but is a part of similar languages close in proximity. This phone is understood to convey the same meanings that phoneme will produce but in surrounding languages there are cases where roles cannot be reversed; will be able to take the place of but cannot take the place of .

Vowels

Satawalese contains nine vowels:/i/, /a/, /o/, /u/, /æ/, /ɛ/, /ʉ/, /ɞ/, /ɒ/.

Grammar

Basic word order

Satawalese use Subject-Object-Verb word order. Ex: Mary a foato-ki tinikii we aan “Mary wrote her letter.”

Reduplication

Reduplication is available in the Satawalese language. It is used mainly to show a progressive form of a verb, noun, or adjective. Ex *‘’ras’’ vt. to pull something until it breaks. *‘’rasras’’ vt. progressive form of ras; the continuous pulling of something until it breaks *‘’rig’’ adj. small. *‘’rigrig’’ adj. progressive form of rig; smaller. *‘’seo’’ rested. *‘’seoseo’’ v. resting. *‘’pis’’ n. splash. *‘’pisipis’’ adj. progressive form of pis; 'splashing around'.

Numerals

Like most Pacific languages as well as many languages around the world, Satawalese takes advantage of a base ten counting system. The Satawalese language contains two basic counting systems (Roddy, 2007). One system is the fast version, which is the version used for counting objects as well as game playing. The second counting system in Satawal is the slow version. This system is used when teaching young children the numeral system, and is also used by older generations. Slow version Fast version English translation *‘’Eota’’ *‘’Eot’’ one *‘’Riuwa’’ *‘’Riuw’’ two *‘’Eoniu’’ *‘’Eon’’three *‘’Faeni’’ *‘’Faen’’four *‘’Nima’’ *‘’Nim’’five *‘’Wona’’ *‘’On’’ six *‘’Fiusa’’ *‘’Fius’’seven *‘’Waani’’ *‘’Wan’’ eight *‘’Tiwa*‘’Tiw’’nine Large numbers are also existent in the Satawalese language. All numbers greater than ten are produced by using the

conjunction Conjunction may refer to: * Conjunction (grammar), a part of speech * Logical conjunction, a mathematical operator ** Conjunction introduction, a rule of inference of propositional logic * Conjunction (astronomy), in which two astronomical bodies ...

''me'', which translates to the word “and” in English. For example, the numeral eleven is ''seig me ew'', which translates to “ten and one” in English or eleven. One billion is the largest numeral in the Satawalese language. It is expressed as ''engeras ssen'' or ''one thousand million''.

Vocabulary

Indigenous vocabulary

*''Saam'' –father *''rheon'' –leaf *''pwun'' –heart *''oattoaur'' –to eat (polite form) *''moat'' –to sit

Loanwords

Satawalese has borrowed words from major language countries that had traveled throughout the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

such as Japan,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, and the

, as well as nearby languages within the

, such as Woleaian and Ulithian. Words derived from English: *''aispwoax'' – Ice box; refrigerator *''felowa'' - bread; flour *''finoras'' – flowers *''frii'' – free *''friiseor'' – freezer *''karesiin'' – kerosene Words derived from Ulithian: *''aasi'' – to take (it) *''aaileng'' – world *''fiifi'' – soup *''kaerboaw'' – cow Words derived from

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

: *''floras'' – flowers *''kanemasa'' – pumpkin Words derived from

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: *''kanepwas'' – calabash *''kachito'' – movie Words derived from Woleaian: *''gamaeinoak'' – pretend *''faisun'' – as it is *" ngang"- Me *"Ito-come

Endangerment

Materials

Satawalese language resources have become quite abundant in the past decade. Alphabet books, translations, as well as dictionaries are all available in the Satawalese language. Also linguistic studies have been documented sharing the language’s grammar, phonology, vocabulary, stories, etc.

Vitality

According to endangeredlanguages.com Satawalese is classified as an

endangered language An endangered language or moribund language is a language that is at risk of disappearing as its speakers die out or shift to speaking other languages. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a " dead lang ...

. However, the language Satawalese shows much promise for the future. Satawalese is spoken as an L1 by most of the population occupying the island of Satawal. It is also used throughout the Federated States of Micronesia as well as nearby states. Also, according to David Roddy the population of Satawalese speakers has grown to 700 in an accounting taken in 2007. Awareness of the island has been a current enhancement to the language due to the contributions made of voyager

Mau Piailug Pius "Mau" Piailug (pronounced ; 1932 – July 12, 2010) was a Micronesian navigator from the Carolinian island of Satawal, best known as a teacher of traditional, non-instrument wayfinding methods for open-ocean voyaging. Mau's Carolinian ...

who was known to have been the first navigator aboard the ship of the infamous Hawaiian double-hulled canoe the Hokulea. With this discovery, interest in the island including the people, culture, and language have been uprooted, meaning more linguistic studies can be done, possibly more resources can be added, and so on. Finally, the Satawalese language documentation is outstanding. As stated before dictionaries and alphabet books have been created allowing the transmission of the language to occur between older and younger generations.

References

{{Austronesian languages Chuukic languages Endangered Austronesian languages Endangered languages of Oceania Languages of the Federated States of Micronesia