Reo Ra’ivavae (Ra’ivavae, Austral Archipelago, French-occupied Polynesia) - Language Snapshot

Abstract

Reo Ra’ivavae is the autochthonous language of the people of Ra’ivavae, in the Austral Islands of French-occupied Polynesia. It is also spoken in the administrative centre of French-occupied Polynesia, Tahiti, by the Ra’ivavae diaspora. Historically, the language is considered an Eastern Polynesian language that exhibits some unique sound changes, not found elsewhere in the subgroup. The Ra’ivavae population is undergoing language shift to Tahitian and there exists some degree of multilingualism on the island with French as well. While the exact degree of endangerment is unclear, the language is under threat and urgently requires significant study as there is as of yet very little documentation or description of the language.