Abstract
Language is something many individuals take for granted. It is usually when we discover that our language (or language variety) is different from and perhaps less valued than, the language of others or that our options are somehow limited, either because ‘we do not speak/understand a language or language variety, or use it inappropriately or ineffectively in a particular context that we begin to pay attention to language’. This paper gives a sketch of Language Policy and Planning (LPP) which is becoming a well-researched field for many academics as well as postgraduate students. The article provides the latest pertinent information on Fiji’s LPP, the linguistic background as well as the medium of instruction (MOI). It further deliberates on the recommendations from the Fiji Islands Education Commission Report of 2000 which is a well-articulated document that provides an overt grounding for LPP in the South Pacific.
Highlights
IntroductionMultiracial country situated in the South Pacific with various languages that make up the nation
Fiji is a multilingual, multiracial country situated in the South Pacific with various languages that make up the nation
The article provides the latest pertinent information on Fiji’s Language Policy and Planning (LPP), the linguistic background as well as the medium of instruction (MOI). It further deliberates on the recommendations from the Fiji Islands Education Commission Report of 2000 which is a well-articulated document that provides an overt grounding for LPP in the South Pacific
Summary
Multiracial country situated in the South Pacific with various languages that make up the nation. In 2005, there was a National Language debate in Fiji, during which the Minister for Education Taufa Vakatale stated ‘If Indians in the country lost their language, there is a whole continent of people in India who would still have the language’ She further claimed ‘in the whole world only 330,000 people know how to speak in Fijian (iTaukei) and if it is lost, there is nowhere it can be revived from, that is why the Fijian language is important to preserve’ (Word Press, 2009). The study reveals the domination of English language which is obviously because of Fiji being a past English colony (Shrestha, 2008) They conclude that the changes taking place in Fiji are due to people’s interest as much as language planning by the government unlike in countries such as Iceland where the government has implemented a protectionist language policy to neutralize the threat of English (Hillmarsson-Dunn, 2006)
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