At the first session of the 2025 Pōtatala Public Lecture Series, held at Tonga National University’s Pahu Campus yesterday, Professor Yuko Otsuka of Sophia University delivered a compelling lecture titled “Ko hoʻomou koloa mahu‘inga lahi tahá ko e lea faka-Tonga: Ensuring the future wellbeing of the Tongan language.”
Professor Otsuka, who has studied the Tongan language for over 30 years, highlighted the vulnerability of many Polynesian languages, noting that while Tongan has been relatively fortunate, its future is ‘unsafe’ and precarious. She emphasized the need to address the fact these languages are becoming endangered. “There is a need to seriously consider how to counter and reverse the ongoing language shift,” she stated.
Otsuka’s research, going back to 2007, predicted the potential decline of the language. She identified factors contributing to language loss, including colonization and globalization. She pointed out that a once active Niuatoputapu language is now extinct. Otsuka also observed concerning trends among younger churchgoers, noting that many prefer to speak English, which could further erode the use of Tongan.
Journalist and Editor for Talanoa o Tonga, Kalafi Moala, offered a contrasting perspective, asserting that the Tongan language remains robust and ‘safe’ due to its integral role in church activities both within Tonga (loto Tonga) and abroad (tu’a Tonga). “The churches are places that promote the Tongan language and cultural practices.”
Moala added that during his time at Tonga High School in the 1960s, students were penalized for speaking Tongan, as English was prioritized to prepare them for university abroad. He suggested that with the establishment of Tonga’s own university, there is an opportunity to teach and award degrees in the Tongan language.
Former education president for the Free Wesleyan Church, Rev. Dr. Meleana Puloka, attributed the diminishing status of the Tongan language to societal attitudes, where English proficiency is often equated with being educated. Professor Otsuka echoed this sentiment, sharing that during her recent visit, more locals commented on the declining value of the Tongan language compared to English.
To strengthen the Tongan language, Professor Otsuka put forward recommendations including implementing government policies that promote its use in schools and offering higher wages to employees who have a strong command of the Tongan language.
Head of School for Tongan Language and Culture, Meletonga ‘Alatini, from Tonga National University confirmed that the institution is developing a graduate program focusing on Tongan language and culture.
Professor Otsuka ended with a stark reminder: “It is easy to lose a language but very hard to get back.” She continues to collect data to inform her research on this important issue.
Professor Otsuka first came to Tonga as a JOCV (JICA) volunteer in 1990 and taught Japanese at Vava’u High School for two years. She earned her MPhil and DPhil from Oxford University in linguistics. She taught linguistics at the University of Hawai’i for 16 years before moving back to Japan in 2016.
Her research interests are formal syntactic theory, Austronesian languages, especially Polynesian languages with a special focus on Tongan, as well as language maintenance in Polynesia.
