Hindi, Fiji

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A language of Fiji

ISO 639-3
hif
Alternate Names
Fiji Baat, Fiji Hindustani, “Fijian Hindi” (pej.), “Fijian Hindustani” (pej.)
Population

380,000 in Fiji (1991 UBS).

Language Status

3 (Wider communication). Statutory language of national identity (2000, Constitution, Article 4(1)).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Eastern, East Central
Dialects

Labasa. No significant regional variation. A type of Awadhi [awa], also influenced by Bhojpuri [bho].

Typology

SOV; verb conjugations have been simplified from standard Hindi [hin].

Language Use

Used by all of Indian ancestry in Fiji, including ethnic Tamil (6,663), Gujarati (6,203), Urdu, Telugu (2,008), Gurmukhi (Punjabi, 1,167), Bengali (17,875), Malayalam. A small Gujarati community speak Gujarati at home, and a few others, mainly older people, speak their heritage languages. Also use English [eng].

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 85%. Newspapers. Radio programs. Bible portions.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Hindi, Fiji
Writing

Devanagari script [Deva]. Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Brought by British as indentured laborers from 1879 until 1920s. Hindu, Muslim.

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