Language

Fiji has three official languages. To greatly oversimplify the situation, the Fijians speak Fijian, the Indians speak Hindi, and they speak English to each other. Schoolchildren are taught in their native language until they are proficient (but not necessarily fluent) in English, which thereafter is the medium of instruction. Although you may not get into serious conversations in English with everyone here, you will have little trouble getting around and enjoying the country.

Fijian

Fijian is similar to the Polynesian languages spoken in Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga in that it uses vowel sounds similar to those in Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish: a as in bad, e as in say, i as in bee, o as in go, and u as in kangaroo.

Some Fijian consonants, however, sound very different from their counterparts in English, Latin, or any other language. In devising a written form of Fijian, the early Wesleyan missionaries decided to use some familiar Roman consonants in unfamiliar ways. It would have been easier for English speakers to read Fijian had the missionaries used a combination of consonants -- th, for example -- for the Fijian sounds. Their main purpose, however, was to teach Fijians to read and write their own language. Because the Fijians separate all consonant sounds with vowels, writing two consonants together confused them.

The missionaries came up with the following usage: b sounds like mb (as in remember), c sounds like th (as in that), d sounds like nd (as in Sunday), g sounds like ng (as in singer), and q sounds like ng + g (as in finger).

The unusual pronunciation is most evident in Fijian names such as Nadi, which is pronounced Nahn-di. There are many other names of people and places that are equally or even more confusing.

Here are some Fijian names with their unusual pronunciations:

Ba mBah Labasa Lam-ba-sa

Bau mBau Mamanuca Ma-ma-nu-tha

Beqa mBeng-ga Nadi Nahn-di

Buca mBu-tha Tabua Tam-bua

Cakobau Thack-om-bau Toberua Tom-bay-rua

Korotogo Ko-ro-ton-go Tubakula Toom-ba-ku-la

Fiji Hindi -- The common everyday language spoken among the Indo-Fijians is a tongue peculiar to Fiji. Although it is based on Hindustani, it is different from that language as spoken in India. It grew out of the need for a common language among the immigrants who came from various parts of the subcontinent and spoke some of the many languages and dialects found in India and Pakistan. Thus it includes words from Hindi, Urdu, Tamil Nadu, a variety of Indian dialects, and even English and Fijian. You'll see what I mean by tuning into a Hindi radio station.

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's South Pacific, 10th Edition Author: Bill Goodwin Pub Date: August 07, 2006 Price: $22.99				Related Titles: Australia For Dummies, 1st Edition Frommer's Australia 2008 Frommer's Australia 2009