Language on Project
In an indigenous Fijian village, the mother-tongue is the Fijian language. In Fiji, there are over 300 different dialects of Fijian language alone! Although, despite all the dialectical variations, the ‘Bauan’ dialect, or more officially known as ‘Standard Fijian,’ is generally understood and spoken by all indigenous Fijians across Fiji.
However, English is also an official language in Fiji and all schooling in Fiji is conducted in English, it has been ever since the early 20th century; this has its roots in Fiji being ceded to the British Empire in 1874 but since Fiji has become independent, it’s a system that remains for the most part due to practical reasons (tourism being 40% of GDP for one). This means that pretty much everyone speaks English in Fiji.
Fiji-hindi is another official language and spoken by the demographic of Fijians of Indian descent, but when one party speaks Fijian and the other speak Fiji-hindi (in urban areas for example), English is the common ground! This means that for you on project, we are not expecting you to learn Fijian and there is no need to work through translators. You may have a member of the older generation who doesn’t speak to much English in the household but there will always be someone younger nearby who can translate!
But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to learn as much as you can; learning about a language is fundamental to learning about any culture and the gesture of committing yourself to learning the local language speaks far beyond the words you’ll be able to say! It will seriously boost the respect you will receive. To give you a bit of a head start, we’ve thrown together some key phrases you may use on project to get under your belt!
Pronunciation
Let’s make sure you’re saying the words right though! Once you know what a letter sounds like in Fijian, it will never change… this means you can probably read it without understanding a word:
a- æ (Gap)
e- e (Elephant)
i- i: (Free)
o- ɒ (Hot)
u- u: (Hoop)
g- ng (Hang)
q- ng (Anger)
b- mb (Bamboo)
d- nd (Hand)
t- ch (Child)
c- th (Feather)
ai- aɪ (Bite)
au- aʊ (House)
ei- eɪ (Bait)
eu- eu: (Eh-oo)
oi- ɔɪ (Boy)
ou- əʊ (Toe)
iu- i:u: (Ee-oo)
The stress of the word generally comes on the second to last syllable in Fijian. But I think you’re ready to go:
Phrasebook – Some Useful Phrases in Standard Fijian
The Basics
Bula – Hello
Moce – Goodbye
Vinaka – Thank you
Vosoti au – I’m sorry
Tilou – Excuse me
E sega ni macala – I don’t understand
O kila na vosa vakavalagi – Do you speak English
Io – Yes
Sega – No
Sota tale – See you later
In the House
Kana – Eat
Gunu – Drink
Dabe – Sit down
Au via kana – I’m hungry
Mai – Come here
Au sa mamau – I am full up
E vica na kaloko? – What is the time?
Vinaka na kakana – Thank you for the food
Au sa lako lai moce – I’m going to sleep
Sota tale ena mataka – See you in the morning
Yadra – Good morning
Cava na vakaviti ni… – What is the Fijian for…
Greetings
O cei na yacamu? – What is your name?
Na yacaqu o… – My name is…
O yabaki vica? – How old are you?
Au yabaki… – I am… years old
O iko mai vei? – Where are you from?
O au mai… – I am from…
Tokani – Friend
Au taleitaka na… – I like…
Vakacava tiko? – How are you doing?
O tiko ike? – Do you live here?
In the Village
Cava na yacana qo? – What is this called?
Au rawa ni veitaba? – Can I take a photo?
Au sega ni kila – I don’t know
Dina – True
E kosakosa – It’s noisy
Vale – House
Vuvale – Family
kakana – Food
Mai ti – Come in for some tea
Na draki – The weather
Travel
Rawa ni o kauti au I – Can you take me to…
E voleka? – Is it close?
Ya vica na kena I sau qo – How much does this cost?
I lavo – Money
E rawa niu taubale kina? – Is it possible to walk there?
Vosa mada vakamalua – Please could you speak more slowly
I vei na – Where is the…?
Au via lako lesu tale mai – I’d like a return ticket
Wawa – Wait
Au vaqara – I am looking for…