Contexts - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 335

LANGUAGE
English is the official language of Fiji, taught and spoken in schools and used in par-
liament and in business. Throughout the upper strata of Fijian society the language is
spoken with great fluency, with an accent not dissimilar to British Received Pronun-
ciation or “Queen's English”. Young people speak their own casual blend of English,
spoken with a hint of a South African accent, and with words and phrases borrowed
from both Fijian and Fiji Hindi.
At home, indigenous Fijians speak Fijian , Rotumans speak Rotuman and Fiji-Indians speak
Fiji Hindi , a unique form of Hindustani. Some Fiji-Indians, especially in the rural areas
around north Viti Levu, Vanua Levu and Taveuni, speak Fijian as a third language and a few
Fijians speak Fiji Hindi but the two ethnic groups tend to converse in English. Learning a
few basic phrases in either language will raise a smile among the locals and prove especially
useful for travellers staying in rural areas.
Fijian
Fijian is part of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the huge Austronesian family of languages,
which stretches from Madagascar to Easter Island, and from Taiwan and Hawaii to New Zea-
land. Within Fiji, regional isolation has led to the formation of nine distinct dialects. For ex-
ample, the commonly used word “ vinaka ”, which in its simplest form means “good”, has
many variations: “ vinaduriki ” in the Yasawas, “ vina'a ” in Taveuni and “ malo ” in Lau. In the
1840s, the dialect known as Bauan was the first version of Fijian to be transcribed into the
roman alphabet (by Scottish missionary David Cargill). This has lead Bauan to become the
most universally accepted type of Fijian, and it is the version taught in schools and used at
formal occasions.
The two most difficult aspects of Fijian to a foreign ear are the pronunciation of consonants
and the difficulty in differentiating words. Fijian sentences sound as if they are spoken as one
long jumbled word with syllables rolling into each other. It is common for Fijians to speak in
a monotone , with one person talking uninterrupted before the second person speaks - boun-
cing conversations back and forth is considered impolite. See details on Fijian dictionaries
and language textbooks.
BULA!
Bula literally means “life” in Fijian. You'll hear it everywhere and from everyone. It is
used as a greeting, and in its simplest form translates as “hello”. “ Ni sa bula ” is a more
polite form of greeting, with the reply being “ bula vinaka ”.