Samoan, spoken by around 260,000 people, is used in Samoa and American Samoa as well as some communities in Tokelau and New Zealand. As part of the Austronesian language family, it uses the Latin alphabet and features an analytic grammar with free word order. Known for its simplicity in structure and richness in cultural expression, Samoan is central to the traditional oral history, music, and community identity of the Samoan people.