ABSTRACT
The Pacific is a region of extreme linguistic and sociolinguistic diversity, with a long and complex history of colonisation. We draw on research from sociolinguistics and allied fields to give an overview of research on historical and contemporary sociolinguistic practices in four sub-regions - Island Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Fiji. Small-scale multilingualism, dialect chains and formal registers are important features of sociolinguistic contexts in different areas of the Pacific. Sociolinguistic responses to colonisation include the creation of contact languages, new varieties of colonial languages, and varied strategies for language revitalisation. We focus on contemporary policies and practices for language use in education across the Pacific, as an important site for responding to colonial ideologies and supporting Indigenous languages.
