The official language of Tonga is Tongan, which is an Austronesian language of the Polynesian branch. It is spoken by roughly 187,000 people. English is also an official language and is taught in schools and widely spoken in the main towns. Most Tongans can speak both languages, but some may not be as fluent in reading and writing English. Tongan is similar to Samoan, and both languages are part of the same Polynesian branch of the Austronesian family of languages. Tongan uses the word order verb–subject–object, and each syllable spoken ends in a vowel.