Linguist Dr Farzana Gounder Photo: Dr Farzana Gounder
Narratives around the Girmit language or Fiji-Hindi as a broken language are erroneous and endanger growth progression.
Linguist Dr Farzana Gounder, a direct Girmit descendant and a representative of Fiji on the UNESCO International Indentured Labour Route Project, said Fiji-Hindi is often seen as an inferior language to the Hindi and Urdu languages spoken in India and Pakistan.
Gounder said this attitude towards the Fiji-Hindi language amongst the community and those outside it are causing psychological impacts on the younger generation.
"I ran a UNESCO-funded workshop in Auckland around Fiji-Hindi and we had workshop participants talking about how they were bullied and mocked in school for the language they speak. These were young people who were very passionate about their language. These are issues that need to be addressed."
She cautions if Fiji-Hindi is to survive in the future, narratives need to change, public awareness needs to be fostered, and the uniqueness of the language ought to be celebrated.
The development of Fiji-Hindi as a language
"In order to address the complexities surrounding the Fiji-Hindi language, understanding its history is vital," Gounder said.
Fiji-Hindi language developed during the peak of the British Indentured labour system, where Indians were recruited as labourers to work on the sugarcane and cotton plantations in Fiji.
"Fiji-Hindi was established during this period based on Hindi and Urdu. However, it also incorporated languages from the South of India, which included Tamil and Telegu, becoming a common means of communication among the labourers. This language was passed down, and today, it is the first language for people of Fiji-Indian descent, incorporating words from both iTaukei and English and is a common language spoken by the people of Fiji," Gounder said.
Gounder adds that Fiji-Hindi is a Pacific language as it was born on the plantations of Fiji and is spoken by a community of people who have lived for generations on the island.
Girmityas at a Banana Plantation in Fiji (Pictures from INL Archives) Photo: INL Archives
Endangerment and Sustainability
For a relatively young language developed over a hundred years ago, questions of its survival are already in discussion, especially here in Aotearoa.
"There is a danger for the children growing up in New Zealand that Fiji-Hindi will increasingly not be their first language for several reasons, and their first language will likely become English as it is commonly spoken and taught. This means that the language is in danger of not being passed down to the next generation, and I think the language is at risk of extinction."
Gounder adds the perception of the Fiji-Hindi language plays a crucial role in its future survival and sustainability efforts.
Girmit Day celebration in Fiji earlier this year Photo: Fiji Government
Those advocating the retention of formal or standard Hindi in Fiji's education system resurfaced in recent years, sparked by the state broadcaster's decision to allow announcers on Hindi station Mirchi FM to speak Fiji Hindi. It prompted calls from an Indo-Fijian organisation that the youth should speak formal Hindi and that the radio station was a bad influence. Also raised were calls for a change to the constitution, which demands Fiji Hindi be taught in schools, a requirement never enforced.
Gounder, however, believes as a linguist, the community needs to be engaged with the public and realistic about what will keep the language alive, as opposed to having a purist view.
"What matters is that the next generation speaks it. What will it take to maintain this connection between language, people, and their identity? As that will help keep the language going. All efforts in this space are much appreciated whether they come from the purist or those who want an extremely colloquial version of Fiji-Hindi as it continues to create a conversation that helps keep our language alive."
First Fiji-Hindi script in the world
Work on an initiative to formalise the Fiji-Hindi language script has begun through the support of UNESCO. The Universal Roman Orthography for Indentured Hindustani Languages aims to create a Fiji-Hindi script that will allow information to be conveyed to the community in their language (Fiji-Hindi).
Gounder said linguists from around the world who study other indentured languages have come together to develop a standardise Roman script. Our languages maybe not be the same, but they are quite similar."
.. Photo: Fiji Girmit Foundation, NZ
"The idea is that we can all write in our languages - just as we write in English using that same script. Therefore, increase our reach around the world. So, our audience or the people who can read what we have written will dramatically increase, and this will hopefully help raise the profile of Fiji-Hindi and increase interest amongst its speakers."
Fiji Hindi is a spoken language yet to be formalised in a written script, and Gounder said when it has, then it can be taught in schools in Fiji with its distinct flavour as one of the main written languages.
"I think it is an easy script because it is written in the same form as English, and this is something that we could pursue in Fiji. Suriname is another Indentured country that has used the Roman script to form a written version of its language. It has been used in their school curriculum since the 1970s. So, we are hopeful that the community will be receptive to this idea, and hopefully, it will feed back into the school system," Gounder said.
Meanwhile, this week marks the commemoration of the Fijian Language week here in Aotearoa, with the Fijian community getting together to celebrate their language, traditions and culture.
The Macawa ni Vosa Vakaviti - Fijian Language Week focuses on nurturing, preserving and sustaining the languages of Fiji.