Fijian language

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/fijian-language

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the language family classification?Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian
2. What is the standard dialectal basis?Bau dialect
3. What is the Fijian language and where is it spoken?Fijian is a language spoken on the islands of Fiji. People often greet each other with the word "Bula!".
4. Why is the Bau dialect important for Fijian?The Bau dialect is the standard form of Fijian because it was the language of a powerful chiefdom. Missionaries wrote dictionaries and grammars using Bau, so it became the main written language.

Austronesian Language Family: A vast and widespread language family originating from Southeast Asia, encompassing languages across Oceania and Madagascar.
Codification: The process of establishing a standard form of a language, often through dictionaries and grammars.
Sociolinguistics: The study of language in relation to society, including how language use varies and influences social interactions.