Southern Illinois is now home to one of few university-based Samoan language courses in the U.S.

Amid declining use of many Indigenous and Pacific Island languages, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville is helping preserve one of the world’s oldest living Polynesian languages with a Samoan language class. The course is one of just a few in the entire country based at a university. Instructor, Talofa Talk founder and SIUE graduate William Fanene shares how his experiences as a heritage language learner shapes his approach to teaching. He also discusses media’s role in piquing public curiosity about Samoan culture and language, even in parts of the country with relatively small populations of people with direct connections to the Pacific Islands.