Pidgin Fijian (also known as Jargon Fijian, Fijian Pidgin, Broken Fijian) was a plantation language used by iTaukei (Indigenous) Fijians and foreigners in Fiji's plantations.[1]
| Pidgin Fijian | |
|---|---|
Language family | Fijian-based pidgin |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | pidg1237 |
Indigenous Fijians first came into contact with Europeans in 1800's when a few sailors were stranded in a shipwreck. [1] After that initial incident, contact between Indigenous Fijians and Europeans became common. The Europeans then started to exploit Fiji's resources. [2] The cotton plantation industry began in the 1860s.[1] The development of Pidgin Fiji is correlated with the development of plantation agriculture in Fiji.[1]At this point, the Europeans only used Fijian labourers and needed a form of communication to use between them.[1]The cotton industry collapsed in 1870, but the European settlers found other crops, such as sugar, to farm. [3] The plantation industry then grew, compelling the European settlers to recruit more labourers from neighbouring Pacific Islands.[3] The new labour workers came from various islands with around 180 different languages. [3] Because there was a need for communication and no mutually intelligible language between all, the Jargon Fijian was modified and became the lingua franca on the plantations.[3]The sugar plantation industry rapidly grew, with a higher demand for labourers, the European settlers recruited from India.[3] Between 1879 and 1916, over 60 000 India from vast areas of India were brought to Fiji as labour workers.[4]Jargon Fijian was being used more often, leading to its pidginization.[1]
Pidgin Fijian began as a jargon and developed into a pidgin but never extended further into an extended pidgin or pidgin creole.[4] Pidgin Fijian has features that can trace to simplifications made by Indigenous Fijians to make it easier for foreigners to learn.[1] There is evidence of modifications that were errors made by Europeans and other foreigners.[1] English was not a target language in Pidgin Fijian.[1] The European settlers were given orders to learn the language of the labourers and believed that non-Europeans should not learn English to put them in their 'place.'[1]
Pidgin Fijian has likely existed for more than a hundred years.[1]