Languages of Fiji
Encyclopedia
Fiji
has three official languages under the 1997 constitution
; English
, Fijian
and Hindustani
. Fijian is a spoken either as a first or second language by indigenous Fijians
who make up around 54% of the population. Fijians of Indian
descent make up a further 37%, mainly speaking Hindustani (Urdu
and Hindi
). English, a remnant of British colonial rule over the islands, was the sole official language until 1997 and is widely used in government, business and education as a lingua franca
.
A small number of other indigenous East Fijian
and West Fijian regional languages are spoken on the islands, standard Fijian belonging to the East Fijian group. Rotuman
and Chinese
are also spoken by immigrant populations.
. After the islands came under British colonial rule
, a number of contract workers were brought from present-day Pakistan
and India
, thus giving the reason for the spreading of Urdu
and Hindi
languages.
Fiji received its independence in 1970, but English remained the only official language of the islands, despite being the first language of only a very small minority. After the 1997 constitution, Hindustani and Fijian were given co-official status, although neither are compulsory subjects in schools. There is considerable debate as to whether Fijian should be made the 'national language', to help develop a unified cultural focus, although English and Hindustani would remain official status.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
has three official languages under the 1997 constitution
Constitution of Fiji
The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama....
; English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Fijian
Fijian language
Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language...
and Hindustani
Fiji Hindi
Fiji Hindi, also known as Fijian Hindi or Fijian Hindustani, is the language spoken by most Fijian citizens of Indian descent. It is derived mainly from the Awadhi and Bhojpuri varieties of Hindi. It has also borrowed a large number of words from Fijian and English. The relation between Fiji Hindi...
. Fijian is a spoken either as a first or second language by indigenous Fijians
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
who make up around 54% of the population. Fijians of Indian
Indians in Fiji
Indo-Fijians are Fijians whose ancestors came from India and various parts of South Asia, South-East Asia and Asia itself. They number 313,798 out of a total of 827,900 people living in Fiji...
descent make up a further 37%, mainly speaking Hindustani (Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
). English, a remnant of British colonial rule over the islands, was the sole official language until 1997 and is widely used in government, business and education as a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
.
A small number of other indigenous East Fijian
East Fijian languages
The East Fijian languages are a subgroup of the Central Pacific languages. They are four: Fijian, Gone Dau, Lauan and Lomaiviti all spoken within Fiji....
and West Fijian regional languages are spoken on the islands, standard Fijian belonging to the East Fijian group. Rotuman
Rotuman language
Rotuman, also referred to as Rotunan, Rutuman or Fäeag Rotuma, is an Austronesian language spoken by the indigenous people of the South Pacific island group of Rotuma, an island with a Polynesian-influenced culture that was incorporated as a dependency into the Colony of Fiji in 1881...
and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
are also spoken by immigrant populations.
History
Until the 19th century, Fiji's population consisted almost entirely of indigenous Fijians, who were of mixed Polynesian and Melanesian descent and generally spoke languages of the Malayo-Polynesian language familyMalayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
. After the islands came under British colonial rule
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, a number of contract workers were brought from present-day Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, thus giving the reason for the spreading of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
languages.
Fiji received its independence in 1970, but English remained the only official language of the islands, despite being the first language of only a very small minority. After the 1997 constitution, Hindustani and Fijian were given co-official status, although neither are compulsory subjects in schools. There is considerable debate as to whether Fijian should be made the 'national language', to help develop a unified cultural focus, although English and Hindustani would remain official status.
See also
- National language debate in FijiNational language debate in FijiThe national language debate in Fiji concerns the status of the country's three official languages - English, Fijian, and Hindustani...