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An English Speaking Country
An English Speaking Country
Like many former colonies of Great Britain, there are certain 'situational varieties'
of English present. There is the very formal, 'Proper' English (which would
resemble formal English in Australia or the United Kingdom) as it is known, which
is to be used in government and any other situation deemed formal enough for its
use, but it has fallen out of favor due to the popularity of the more laid back
varieties and is still spoken only by the older generation that lived through the
colonial days. A sort of mid-
level English is used in school, church, work and in
semi-formal situations and is
basically English with localized grammatical
innovations and words imported
from Hindi and Fijian;it is quickly
becoming formal English in
Fiji.
English in Fiji #3
Last is the very informal Fiji English, or Finglish, which is used among all races with
family, friends and often nowadays, in general conversations and in any other
situation not deemed formal. Fiji English has been tentatively studied by linguists
and has been suggested as a separate dialect from Standard English (as has
developed in Australia and New Zealand) but the distinction is not made locally or
in the constitution. Moreover, other linguists suggest it is part of a greater South
Pacific English dialect because of the shared development of English within
former British colonies and protectorates in the South Pacific.