Gagana Samoa: A Samoan Language Coursebook, Revised Edition

by Galumalemana Afeleti Hunkin

Gagana Samoa is a modern Samoan language resource. Designed for both classroom and personal use, it features a methodical approach suitable for all ages; an emphasis on patterns of speech and communication through practice and examples; 10 practical dialogues covering everyday social situations; an introduction to the wider culture of fa‘asamoa through photographs; more than 150 exercises to reinforce comprehension; a glossary of all Samoan words used in the coursebook; and oral skills supplemented with audio files available on a separate CD or for download or streaming on the web.

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gagana Samoa: A Samoan Language Coursebook (Revised edition 2009) is a great learning tool. I used the book to give me an introduction to Samoan language before living in Samoa. The coursebook gave me a basic cultural understanding that gave me confidence moving to Samoa, and once I arrived I continued learning vocabulary and phrases with the help of my colleagues and local friends. This book gave me the grammatical grounding that I needed, which is a lot more difficult to learn informally.
Like other short language coursebooks I have encountered, there are some structural jumps which can frustrate or confuse the learner, but any committed learner can get a lot out of this book, which is the only Samoan language coursebook (as far as I know).
Speech marks (macrons and glottal stops) are used to teach pronunciation, which is helpful and effective for the beginner. I followed the audio and found it great.