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In the List of languages by number of native speakers article, Tonga is said to have <1% English speaking community despite its official status. I know this to be untrue, albeit, I have no evidence for this, i.e. web-links and such. Is there any site with which I could cite? -- Greaser 08:22, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
This article ought to have IPA in it. Mo-Al 01:44, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
Shouldn't there be a Proto-Polynesian column on the table in the "Related languages" section? Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Polynesian languages, or I'd research it myself. Mo-Al 02:04, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
The use of the word "lazy" when refering to writers of the Tongan language is pejorative and unnecessary. I'm going to remove it.
The word for pig (puaka etc) was used to illustrate the reflexes of proto-Polynesian *k. I changed this to the word for canoe (vaka etc) since the Māori word for pig (poaka) is generally considered to be a loanword from English from "porker", and because the word for canoe is attested in all the mentioned languages. Also replaced the non-Polynesian language Fijian with examples from Proto-Polynesian. Kahuroa 18:44, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
English has 2 articles - "the" and "a" / "an". But all other European languages have more then 2… Alone Geman has 3 definite, the romance languages have alone 2 definite … 2A01:76C0:8FE:3700:7407:DF57:3AFA:E2 ( talk) 23:00, 18 May 2023 (UTC)
There needs to be a discussion of the "third" article, si'i, which can be used instead of ha and (h)e to indicate an emotional relationship with the following noun. It would probably be translated "dear" or "poor," depending on the context. 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
Tongan makes a distinction between objective and subjective possession, with the result in a number of possessive forms for the pronouns. (Different prepositions are also used to show objective and subjective possession by lexical nouns.) In brief, the relationship between and objective possession and the thing possessed is like that between the object of a verb and the verb itself, while the subjective possession is comparable to that between the the subject of a verb and the verb itself. 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
Tongan uses three numbers--singular, dual, and plural (three or more). Dual and plural markers are placed in front of (rather than suffixed to) their respective nouns. I believe 'ongo is used for duals, while there are several different markers used for plurals of three or more: ngaahi, kau, fanga, and u are probably the most common ones, but others are used. The first one is used for people and things, the second for people, the third for animals, and the last for certain objects in the sky (cf. u mahina "moons" and ngaahi mahina "months"). However, someone with more knowledge of the language will have to deal with this. 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
The article says "In addition there are special, traditional counting systems for fish, coconuts, yams, etc." Is this true, what does it mean, and does anyone know of some source for this? 88.114.154.216 ( talk) 05:48, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
I added the citation for it. What it means is yams etc have an archaic counting system attached to them that counts in pairs and scores of pairs. I do not know whether the system is still used by farmers today, but if it's used that's who would use it. Ketura01 ( talk) 22:48, 5 October 2014 (UTC)
Tongan uses four persons, rather than three: first inclusive, first exclusive (depending on whether the person addressed is included), second, and third. The first inclusive vs. exclusive distinction is more easily observed in the plural, where a Tongan would use a different pronoun for the expressions "Let's go!" and "Let us go! (But you stay.)" The first inclusive pronoun also exists in the singular, but is not used very much (there is a proverb about selflessness that uses it, but I don't know it well enough to put it here). 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
Possessive pronouns are attached to the articles, including ha and si'i. This means there is a specific pronoun that means "my dear . . ." (si'eku, I believe) as opposed to "my . . ." (ho'o, I believe) or "a . . . that I might have" (ha'o, I believe). (My uncertainty about the specific forms makes it impossible for me to put this discussion into the main article.) 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
I keep coming across Tongan words spelled with circumflex accents over vowels. Notably in translation tables in the English Wiktionary.
I just want to check with experts here whether the circumflex was formerly an official way to denote a long vowel, or whether the macron has always held this role with the circumflex just being used as an ad-hoc replacement due to macrons not being available on English typewriters and computer keyboards. — Hippietrail ( talk) 09:40, 19 September 2014 (UTC)
Do Tongan publications in Tonga still use the dieresis ( ¨ ) (or umlaut, if you prefer) instead of the macron ( ¯ ) to indicate long vowels (toloi)? 108.246.206.139 ( talk) 02:19, 2 June 2015 (UTC)
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In the List of languages by number of native speakers article, Tonga is said to have <1% English speaking community despite its official status. I know this to be untrue, albeit, I have no evidence for this, i.e. web-links and such. Is there any site with which I could cite? -- Greaser 08:22, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
This article ought to have IPA in it. Mo-Al 01:44, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
Shouldn't there be a Proto-Polynesian column on the table in the "Related languages" section? Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Polynesian languages, or I'd research it myself. Mo-Al 02:04, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
The use of the word "lazy" when refering to writers of the Tongan language is pejorative and unnecessary. I'm going to remove it.
The word for pig (puaka etc) was used to illustrate the reflexes of proto-Polynesian *k. I changed this to the word for canoe (vaka etc) since the Māori word for pig (poaka) is generally considered to be a loanword from English from "porker", and because the word for canoe is attested in all the mentioned languages. Also replaced the non-Polynesian language Fijian with examples from Proto-Polynesian. Kahuroa 18:44, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
English has 2 articles - "the" and "a" / "an". But all other European languages have more then 2… Alone Geman has 3 definite, the romance languages have alone 2 definite … 2A01:76C0:8FE:3700:7407:DF57:3AFA:E2 ( talk) 23:00, 18 May 2023 (UTC)
There needs to be a discussion of the "third" article, si'i, which can be used instead of ha and (h)e to indicate an emotional relationship with the following noun. It would probably be translated "dear" or "poor," depending on the context. 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
Tongan makes a distinction between objective and subjective possession, with the result in a number of possessive forms for the pronouns. (Different prepositions are also used to show objective and subjective possession by lexical nouns.) In brief, the relationship between and objective possession and the thing possessed is like that between the object of a verb and the verb itself, while the subjective possession is comparable to that between the the subject of a verb and the verb itself. 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
Tongan uses three numbers--singular, dual, and plural (three or more). Dual and plural markers are placed in front of (rather than suffixed to) their respective nouns. I believe 'ongo is used for duals, while there are several different markers used for plurals of three or more: ngaahi, kau, fanga, and u are probably the most common ones, but others are used. The first one is used for people and things, the second for people, the third for animals, and the last for certain objects in the sky (cf. u mahina "moons" and ngaahi mahina "months"). However, someone with more knowledge of the language will have to deal with this. 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
The article says "In addition there are special, traditional counting systems for fish, coconuts, yams, etc." Is this true, what does it mean, and does anyone know of some source for this? 88.114.154.216 ( talk) 05:48, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
I added the citation for it. What it means is yams etc have an archaic counting system attached to them that counts in pairs and scores of pairs. I do not know whether the system is still used by farmers today, but if it's used that's who would use it. Ketura01 ( talk) 22:48, 5 October 2014 (UTC)
Tongan uses four persons, rather than three: first inclusive, first exclusive (depending on whether the person addressed is included), second, and third. The first inclusive vs. exclusive distinction is more easily observed in the plural, where a Tongan would use a different pronoun for the expressions "Let's go!" and "Let us go! (But you stay.)" The first inclusive pronoun also exists in the singular, but is not used very much (there is a proverb about selflessness that uses it, but I don't know it well enough to put it here). 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
Possessive pronouns are attached to the articles, including ha and si'i. This means there is a specific pronoun that means "my dear . . ." (si'eku, I believe) as opposed to "my . . ." (ho'o, I believe) or "a . . . that I might have" (ha'o, I believe). (My uncertainty about the specific forms makes it impossible for me to put this discussion into the main article.) 207.69.137.9 04:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
I keep coming across Tongan words spelled with circumflex accents over vowels. Notably in translation tables in the English Wiktionary.
I just want to check with experts here whether the circumflex was formerly an official way to denote a long vowel, or whether the macron has always held this role with the circumflex just being used as an ad-hoc replacement due to macrons not being available on English typewriters and computer keyboards. — Hippietrail ( talk) 09:40, 19 September 2014 (UTC)
Do Tongan publications in Tonga still use the dieresis ( ¨ ) (or umlaut, if you prefer) instead of the macron ( ¯ ) to indicate long vowels (toloi)? 108.246.206.139 ( talk) 02:19, 2 June 2015 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just added archive links to one external link on
Tongan language. Please take a moment to review
my edit. If necessary, add {{
cbignore}}
after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add {{
nobots|deny=InternetArchiveBot}}
to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.
This message was posted before February 2018.
After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than
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have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the
RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{
source check}}
(last update: 5 June 2024).
Cheers. — cyberbot II Talk to my owner:Online 16:24, 18 October 2015 (UTC)