- and 111 languages

Vanuatu: Land of 112 000 people - and 111 languages

Livelv discussions continue in Vanuatu on the unique language problems faced by the country. A landmark in these discussions was a four-and-half-day international conference held in Port-Vila Town Hall last year on the subject ‘ Language Planning and Policy in Vanuatu’.

Organised by the Pacific Churches Research Centre and the Extension Centre of the University of the South Pacific in Port- Vila, with funds provided by UNESCO and the Vanuatu Government, the conference offered no solution to the grave problems of the country’s inheritance of the two metropolitan languages, English and French. But on the other hand it did much to promote and plan the development of the country’s ‘national language’ of Bislama, the local variant of Melanesian pidgin. In this connection, one of its more interesting proposals was for the establishment of a joint Papua New Guinea- Vanuatu committee to study the fostering of Melanesian pidgin as a regional language. Such a proposal is directly in line with the modern trend to ‘internationalise’ pidgin as a means of communication between countries such as Solomon Islands, PNG, and Vanuatu.

Dr DONALD M. TOPPING of the University of Hawaii at Manoa was among the foreign observers at the conference. His reports follow.

Sitting in straight-backed chairs for sessions running from 8 am to 4.30 pm with a two hour Vila-esque lunch break 30 ni-Vanuatu delegates, and 14 observers from five Pacific countries and one US Territory engaged in serious discussions of one of Vanuatu’s most urgent post-condominium problems: what to do about more than 100 different indigenous languages, the legacy of two European language systems, and the ris ing tide of Bislama, a dialect of Melanesian pidgin, whose roots go back to the same plantation sources as do Tokpisin and Solomon Islands pidgin.

With simultaneous trans lation services provided by the South Pacific Bible Translators, the all-day sessions were con ducted predominantly in Bislama, which was translated into English for the benefit of the overseas observers. The use of Bislama as the primary language of the conference en abled full participation of the ni-Vanuatu delegates, several of whom do not speak any European language. Perhaps another very important point was made in the process: Bislama, a pidgin language, is an adequate language for con

ducting complex, and often abstract, discussions involving education, law, the media, and politics.

In his opening address. Prime Minister Waller Lini, speaking in Bislama, stressed that he hoped the conference would look hard at ‘the role of Bislama in the development of this country as it strives for national unity’. The PM also made clear his view that English and French had driven a wedge between ni-Vanuatu, and that ‘Bislama is drawing our people together’, as well as providing communication linkages with the neighbours to the north (Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea).

Strongly supporting the PM’s views concerning the role of Bislama was Chief Willie Bongmatur, chairman of the Vanuatu National Council of Chiefs. In addition, Chief Willie spoke frequently throughout the conference stressing the need for the chil dren of Vanuatu to be thoroughly grounded in custom and in their own languages, even if this meant holding them back from school until age seven or eight. The seven other custom chiefs, representing a

cross-section of different islands, strongly backed Chief Willie’s argument for retaining custom, and the use of vernacu lar languages in the early pri mary school years as a means of developing a strong local ident ity among ni-Vanuatu.

Perhaps the strongest advo cates for Bislama as a standard ised national language on a par with English and French were the South Pacific Bible Trans lators, who recently issued a translation of the Nyu Tesamen in ‘standard’ Bislama, and are currently engaged in a trans lation of the Old Testament to match the New in spelling, vocabulary, and structure.

When they were not in the booth providing excellent simul taneous translations, the Bible translators stressed the need for standardising Bislama, both spoken and written, throughout the country, so that it could be widely used in print.

On the government side, rep resentatives from broadcasting and information, the Ministry of Education, and the attorney general’s office presented their current practices and positions as specified in the constitution and in termination agreements.

Although Bislama is recognised constitutionally as the national language,; English and French are the official languages of education, law, and government correspondence, while broad

principle, there must be room for and recognition of vernacu lar, Bislama, and the metropoli tan languages in the education system of Vanuatu. 2. (a) Vernacular languages must be used as the medium of instruction in primary schools through Classes 1-3. (b) Bislama will be intro duced in primary schools begin ning Class 4. (c) Bislama should be used as the medium of instruction.

Classes 4-6, with French and English introduced as subjects of study. (d) French and/or English will be.introduced and used as media of instruction in second ary schools with Bislama con tinued as a subject of study. (e) Technical school should continue with Bislama as the medium of instruction through Classes 7 and 8. (f) If these new language requirements necessitate ex tending the time period for primary school, this is some thing for the Ministry of Edu cation to study.

Law: I. All laws should be translated into Bislama. 2. In case of dispute of interpretation, Bislama will be the definitive version. 3. Translators for court cases must be provided when re quested. 4. Parliamentarians should strive to improve their Bislama

Language And Society

cast time for international sub ject matter is nearly equally divided to allow for trans mission in English, French, and Bislama. Matters of staffing and of time-consuming translations were cited as major problems.

At the end of four and a half days of informed, and some times impassioned, discussion, the delegates passed a series of resolutions to be passed on to the Vanuatu Government. The resolutions, written in Bislama, fall into three categories: edu cation, law, and the media.

They are summarised below; Education: 1. As a general

by expunging Anglicisms from their vocabulary.

Media: 1 . French and English radio news should be restricted to once per evening each, with perhaps more in expatriate centres such as Port-Vila and Luganville. 2. All educational pro grammes in English and French should be translated into Bislama. 3. Radio translators should be given opportunity for train ing in translation techniques, and should be encouraged to strive for a standard Bislama.

Additional resolutions called

for government support of linguistic studies of the vernacular languages, the establishmcnl of a joint committee between PNG and Vanuatu to study the development of Melanesian pidgin as a regional language, to support a monolingual Bislama dictionary project, and to establish a National Language Commission which would report directly to the prime minister.

In spite of the obvious gravity

of the problems caused by the legacy of the two metropolitan languages, no solutions were proposed at the conference, Nowhere in the resolutions was the problem even mentioned.

Like the grey clouds of Port- Vila, the big question was constantly hovering, and was apparently dealt with in the same way, with everybody wish ing that the clouds, as well as the big question, would simply go away.