Languages

Main article: Tuvaluan language

The Tuvaluan language and English are the national languages of Tuvalu. Tuvaluan is of the
Ellicean group of Polynesian languages, distantly related to all other Polynesian languages such
as Hawaiian, Māori, Tahitian, Rapa Nui, Samoan and Tongan. It is most closely related to the
languages spoken on the Polynesian outliers in Micronesia and northern and central Melanesia.
The Tuvaluan language has borrowed from the Samoan language, as a consequence of Christian
missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries being predominantly Samoan.[27][120]

The Tuvaluan language is spoken by virtually everyone, while a language very similar to
Gilbertese is spoken on Nui.[120][121] English is also an official language but is not spoken in daily
use. Parliament and official functions are conducted in the Tuvaluan language.

There are about 13,000 Tuvaluan speakers worldwide.[122][123] Radio Tuvalu transmits Tuvaluan
language programming.