Fijian language
Austronesian language of Fiji, official since 2013.
Fijian, known natively as *Na vosa vaka-Viti*, belongs to the Austronesian family’s Malayo-Polynesian branch and is the mother tongue of roughly 350,000 to 450,000 ethnic Fijians. Its sentence structure follows a verb–object–subject (VOS) order, and the standard form of the language is built on the Bau dialect, which is part of the East Fijian group. Under the 2013 constitution, Fijian—officially called iTaukei—holds national language status in Fiji, sharing that rank with English and Hindi.
The language arrived in Fiji about 3,500 years ago with the islands’ earliest settlers, and for millennia it was the only spoken language there. In 1835, Methodist missionaries from Australia began developing a written form; by 1840, they had created a writing system and published works covering various dialects. After Fiji gained independence in 1970, Fijian came into use on radio, television, in books and periodicals, and was introduced as a school subject.
Linguistically, Fijian and Polynesian languages are not simply borrowers from one another. They belong to the same subgroup—the Central Pacific branch of Austronesian—and share a common ancestor, which accounts for most of their similar vocabulary through cognates. Still, some words, especially in eastern dialects, were adopted from Polynesian languages, notably Tongan.
In May and June 2005, several prominent Fijians pushed to elevate the language’s status. Before the 1997 Constitution, Fiji had no official language; that document made Fijian co-official with English and Fiji Hindi, but did not require it in schools. Education Minister Ro Teimumu Kepa backed appeals to the Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, Ratu Ovini Bokini. Similar calls came from Misiwini Qereqeretabua, Director of the Institute of Language and Culture, and Apolonia Tamata, a linguistics professor at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. They argued that recognizing Fijian is vital to national identity and unifies Fiji’s multicultural society. Mahendra Chaudhry, leader of the Fiji Labour Party, supported making Fijian a national language and a compulsory school subject on par with Fiji Hindi, a stance echoed by Krishna Vilas of the National Reconciliation Committee. Since the 2013 constitution, Fijian has been established as an official language alongside Fiji Hindi and English.
The consonant system includes a sound written ⟨dr⟩,
- Language family
- Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian
- Native speakers
- 350,000–450,000 ethnic Fijians
- Official status
- National language of Fiji (since 2013 constitution)
- Dialect basis
- Bau dialect (East Fijian)
- Typology
- VOS (verb–object–subject)
- Writing system
- Latin script (developed by Methodist missionaries by 1840)
Lore & Background
The Fijian language was introduced to Fiji approximately 3,500 years ago by the islands' first settlers, and for millennia it was the only spoken language in Fiji. In 1835, Methodist missionaries from Australia began developing a written form, and by 1840 they had created a writing system and published books on various dialects. After Fiji's independence in 1970, Fijian has been used in radio, television, books, and periodicals, and has been taught in schools.
Linguistic research shows that Fijian and Polynesian languages are part of the same Central Pacific branch of the Austronesian family, sharing a common ancestor, with much of their shared vocabulary consisting of cognates. Some words from Polynesia, especially from Tonga, have been adopted into Fijian, particularly in eastern dialects. A pidginized form of Fijian is used by many Indo-Fijians and Chinese, while Pidgin Hindustani is used by many rural ethnic Fijians and Chinese in areas dominated by Indo-Fijians.
In May and June 2005, several prominent Fijians sought to promote the status of the Fijian language. Fiji had no official language before the 1997 Constitution, which made Fijian co-official with English and Fiji Hindi, but it was not required to be taught in schools. The minister of education, Ro Teimumu Kepa, supported appeals to the Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, and others such as Misiwini Qereqeretabua and Apolonia Tamata argued that recognition of Fijian is essential for national identity and unity. Mahendra Chaudhry and Krishna Vilas also supported making Fijian a national language and compulsory subject. Since 2013, Fijian has been established as an official language alongside Fiji Hindi and English.
Reader's Guide
Fijian is significant as the indigenous language of Fiji, spoken by hundreds of thousands of ethnic Fijians and recognized as a national language in the 2013 constitution. Its history reflects the deep Austronesian heritage of the Pacific, with linguistic ties to Polynesian languages through a shared Central Pacific ancestor. The development of a written form by Methodist missionaries in the 19th century enabled its use in education and media after independence. The language's phonology includes distinctive features such as prenasalized trills and allophonic variations, and its orthography is largely phonemic. The debate over official status in the 2000s highlighted the language's role in national identity and multicultural unity. Fijian's VOS word order and semi-auxiliary negation system illustrate its unique morphosyntactic structure. Its legacy lies in its resilience as a living language and its codification in modern Fiji's legal and educational framework.
Did You Know?
- Fijian is a VOS (verb–object–subject) language.
- The consonant written ⟨dr⟩ is a prenasalized trill [ⁿr] or trilled affricate [ⁿdr], but is rarely pronounced with a trilled release.
- The sounds [p] and [f] occur only in loanwords from other languages.
- In the 1980s, scholars added consonants like ⟨z⟩ [ⁿdʒ] and ⟨h⟩ [h] to the alphabet for loanwords.
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