Fijian

When the earliest inhabitants of Fiji arrived 3500 years ago, they brought with them the language of the homeland they had set sail from - an island in Vanuatu, or possibly the Solomons (but certainly not Africa!).

That language has changed and splintered over the years into a multitude of different 'communalects' now numbering more than 300. This is because language divides naturally as people spread out, and there may have been some additional input from more recent immigrants from other islands lying to the west.

The Fijian 'communalects' belong to the enormous Austronesian language family, which means they are related to thousands of other languages spanning the globe from Malagasy in the west to Rapanui (Easter Island) in the east, from Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south to Hawaii and Taiwan in the north. The family includes such important national languages as Tagalog (Philippines) and Malay. After Fiji had been settled, the flow of population continued north and east. The languages of Polynesia (such as Maori, Tahitian, Tongan, Samoan and Hawaiian), the language of the tiny island of Rotuma to the north of Fiji, and of course their speakers, all originated in Fiji more than 3000 years ago. These relationships can be clearly seen in the following table of selected words.

The early missionaries had a keen appreciation of the importance of using local language in their work, and by 1840 had already devised an excellent spelling system for Fijian as well as published a number of books in different 'communalects'. When the need for a standard language became apparent, they selected the language of Bau, the tiny island off the south-east coast of Viti Levu which was, and in some ways still is, the seat of the major power in Fijian politics. Nowadays the spoken Fijian of the towns and the Fijian used in books and newspapers are both known as 'Bauan', even though neither is quite the same as the language of the island of Bau.

Common idiosyncrasies of Fijian words: The letter "b" is prononounced "mb" Therefore, Bure is "mBure"
The letter "d" is prononounced "nd" Therefore, Nadi is "Nandi"
The letter "q" is prononounced "ng" Therefore, Beqa Island is "Benga Island"
The letter "c" is prononounced "th" Therefore, Caneili is "Thaneili"



General Fijian dialect (understood by all villagers at Fijian villages):

Bula - "Hello"

Ni Sa Bula or Bula Vinaka - A warm "hello"

Andra Vinaka - Good Morning

Kava - traditional narcotic (relaxing) drink)

Nataune (pronounced "gnauna") ni gunuyaqona - Is it kava time?

Kana - let's eat

Wai - River

Waitui - Sea

Lotu - Church

The Fijians are pretty easy-going, but if you are invited into a village, wear modest clothing and take off your hat (wearing one is an insult to the chief) when in the village. Leave your shoes outside the door when entering a home and keep in mind that it's also insulting to touch someone's head - which can be tempting when you are surrounded by wide-eyed, smiling children.

If you are invited to drink kava, don't ask, just enjoy the ritual and the tumb noungue, sorry - the numb tongue.

When visiting a village, it is customary to present a gift of kava, which is also known as " yaqona ". The gift, (a "sevusevu"), will cost less than F$20 for a half kilo. If you are accompanied by a guide, he/she will look after that. The sevusevu is presented to the traditional head of the village ("Turaga Ni koro"). After it's been pounded into powder and mixed with water, it is usually served in the head person's house.

Be prepared to shake hands and answer personal questions like, where are you from, are you married, how many children do you have… and so on.

Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 350,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language. The 1997 Constitution established Fijian as an official language of Fiji, along with English and Hindustani, and there is discussion about establishing it as the "national language," though English and Hindustani would remain official. Fijian is a VOS language.

When the earliest inhabitants of Fiji arrived 3500 years ago, they brought with them the language of the homeland they had set sail from - an island in Vanuatu, or possibly the Solomons (but certainly not Africa!).

That language has changed and splintered over the years into a multitude of different 'communalects' now numbering more than 300. This is because language divides naturally as people spread out, and there may have been some additional input from more recent immigrants from other islands lying to the west.

The Fijian 'communalects' belong to the enormous Austronesian language family, which means they are related to thousands of other languages spanning the globe from Malagasy in the west to Rapanui (Easter Island) in the east, from Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south to Hawaii and Taiwan in the north. The family includes such important national languages as Tagalog (Philippines) and Malay. After Fiji had been settled, the flow of population continued north and east. The languages of Polynesia (such as Maori, Tahitian, Tongan, Samoan and Hawaiian), the language of the tiny island of Rotuma to the north of Fiji, and of course their speakers, all originated in Fiji more than 3000 years ago. These relationships can be clearly seen in the following table of selected words.

The early missionaries had a keen appreciation of the importance of using local language in their work, and by 1840 had already devised an excellent spelling system for Fijian as well as published a number of books in different 'communalects'. When the need for a standard language became apparent, they selected the language of Bau, the tiny island off the south-east coast of Viti Levu which was, and in some ways still is, the seat of the major power in Fijian politics. Nowadays the spoken Fijian of the towns and the Fijian used in books and newspapers are both known as 'Bauan', even though neither is quite the same as the language of the island of Bau.

Common idiosyncrasies of Fijian words: The letter "b" is prononounced "mb" Therefore, Bure is "mBure"
The letter "d" is prononounced "nd" Therefore, Nadi is "Nandi"
The letter "q" is prononounced "ng" Therefore, Beqa Island is "Benga Island"
The letter "c" is prononounced "th" Therefore, Caneili is "Thaneili"



General Fijian dialect (understood by all villagers at Fijian villages):

Bula - "Hello"

Ni Sa Bula or Bula Vinaka - A warm "hello"

Andra Vinaka - Good Morning

Kava - traditional narcotic (relaxing) drink)

Nataune (pronounced "gnauna") ni gunuyaqona - Is it kava time?

Kana - let's eat

Wai - River

Waitui - Sea

Lotu - Church

The Fijians are pretty easy-going, but if you are invited into a village, wear modest clothing and take off your hat (wearing one is an insult to the chief) when in the village. Leave your shoes outside the door when entering a home and keep in mind that it's also insulting to touch someone's head - which can be tempting when you are surrounded by wide-eyed, smiling children.

If you are invited to drink kava, don't ask, just enjoy the ritual and the tumb noungue, sorry - the numb tongue.

When visiting a village, it is customary to present a gift of kava, which is also known as " yaqona ". The gift, (a "sevusevu"), will cost less than F$20 for a half kilo. If you are accompanied by a guide, he/she will look after that. The sevusevu is presented to the traditional head of the village ("Turaga Ni koro"). After it's been pounded into powder and mixed with water, it is usually served in the head person's house.

Be prepared to shake hands and answer personal questions like, where are you from, are you married, how many children do you have… and so on.

Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 350,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language. The 1997 Constitution established Fijian as an official language of Fiji, along with English and Hindustani, and there is discussion about establishing it as the "national language," though English and Hindustani would remain official. Fijian is a VOS language.

When the earliest inhabitants of Fiji arrived 3500 years ago, they brought with them the language of the homeland they had set sail from - an island in Vanuatu, or possibly the Solomons (but certainly not Africa!).

That language has changed and splintered over the years into a multitude of different 'communalects' now numbering more than 300. This is because language divides naturally as people spread out, and there may have been some additional input from more recent immigrants from other islands lying to the west.

The Fijian 'communalects' belong to the enormous Austronesian language family, which means they are related to thousands of other languages spanning the globe from Malagasy in the west to Rapanui (Easter Island) in the east, from Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south to Hawaii and Taiwan in the north. The family includes such important national languages as Tagalog (Philippines) and Malay. After Fiji had been settled, the flow of population continued north and east. The languages of Polynesia (such as Maori, Tahitian, Tongan, Samoan and Hawaiian), the language of the tiny island of Rotuma to the north of Fiji, and of course their speakers, all originated in Fiji more than 3000 years ago. These relationships can be clearly seen in the following table of selected words.

The early missionaries had a keen appreciation of the importance of using local language in their work, and by 1840 had already devised an excellent spelling system for Fijian as well as published a number of books in different 'communalects'. When the need for a standard language became apparent, they selected the language of Bau, the tiny island off the south-east coast of Viti Levu which was, and in some ways still is, the seat of the major power in Fijian politics. Nowadays the spoken Fijian of the towns and the Fijian used in books and newspapers are both known as 'Bauan', even though neither is quite the same as the language of the island of Bau.

Common idiosyncrasies of Fijian words: The letter "b" is prononounced "mb" Therefore, Bure is "mBure"
The letter "d" is prononounced "nd" Therefore, Nadi is "Nandi"
The letter "q" is prononounced "ng" Therefore, Beqa Island is "Benga Island"
The letter "c" is prononounced "th" Therefore, Caneili is "Thaneili"



General Fijian dialect (understood by all villagers at Fijian villages):

Bula - "Hello"

Ni Sa Bula or Bula Vinaka - A warm "hello"

Andra Vinaka - Good Morning

Kava - traditional narcotic (relaxing) drink)

Nataune (pronounced "gnauna") ni gunuyaqona - Is it kava time?

Kana - let's eat

Wai - River

Waitui - Sea

Lotu - Church