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Rapa language
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2017) |
| Rapa | |
|---|---|
| Mangaia | |
| Native to | French Polynesia, Cook Islands |
Native speakers | 300 on Rapa (2007 census)[1] 573 on Mangaia (2011 census); additional speakers in diaspora |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ray |
| Glottolog | rapa1245 |
| ELP | Rapa |
 Rapa is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Rapa (or Rapan) is the language of Rapa Iti, in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia, and of Mangaia in the Cook Islands. It is an Eastern Polynesian language. There are three varieties of the Rapa language currently being spoken in French Polynesia: Old Rapa, Reo Rapa and New Rapa.[2] Old Rapa has been mostly replaced by Reo Rapa, a mix of the more commonly spoken Tahitian and Old Rapa.[3] New Rapa – revitalized Old Rapa – is commonly spoken by middle-aged and younger speakers.[2] Rapa is a critically endangered language, and there are only around 300 speakers of Reo Rapa, with only 15% of them able to speak Old Rapa.[4] It may be more vibrant on Mangaia, but there the population has been declining for half a century due to emigration.
- ^ Rapa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b Walworth 2015.
- ^ Walworth 2017, pp. 89, 99.
- ^ Walworth, Mary (2014). "Rapa". Endangered Languages. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
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