Mother tongue

I CONCUR with the Minister for iTaukei Affairs that many Fijians are losing touch in speaking their mother tongue as a result of rural-to-urban drift.

The growing infatuation for the English language has already started having a detrimental effect on the vernacular languages and dialects in Fiji.

One is confident enough to make an impromptu speech in English but not in their vernacular languages.

Non-native Englishspeaking parents nowadays expect their children to fluently converse in English at a young age without realising that this action pushes their mother tongue towards language death leading to a loss of identity.

We need to revive our mother tongue before it is too late. One way to do this is by practising it often either conversationally or in formal arenas.

Local writers must be encouraged to produce literature in their native languages, however, the readership status in Fiji puts them at a disadvantage.

Prof Subramani’s beautifully crafted novels in Fiji-Hindi, Dauka Puraan and Fiji Maa; Mother of a Thousand, and Dr Nikhat Shameem’s poem ‘1987 ke baad fir’ are masterpieces, however, how many of us have read their work?

I, for one, found pleasure in reading their work in Fiji-Hindi and it would be interesting to see other local writers follow their path.

Moreover, I guess New Zealand is doing far better in celebrating Pasifika languages than us. All we do is put up posters, say speeches and that’s all. We should not celebrate or mark Mother Language Day but have a Mother Language Month.

A week each for the languages that are spoken in Fiji.

Activities should be carried out from the top offices to the grassroots. News on social and print media should be in vernacular and schools to have this incorporated into their curriculum.

On the same note, I urge the government of the day to accord the Rotuman language an official status in the Fijian Constitution.

Currently, English is the supreme language of the land, and translations in Hindi and iTaukei languages are available.

However, if there is an apparent difference in meaning, then the English version prevails.

It is about time the vernacular languages, including the Rotuman language, were given the same status as English in a bid to safeguard and protect it.

If we do not act now, nobody will and we must act for “our mother tongue gives us our identity”.

AVITESH D KUMAR Ba