ABSTRACT
Fiji Hindi (FH), which developed as a result of plantation contact during the indenture period (1870–1920), is identified by more than one third of Fiji and a considerable diasporic Indo-Fijian population as their mother tongue. By 1920, the language had become informally standardized and used as the first language of all indentured laborers and their descendants. Although this speech community perceives FH as its heritage language, an identifiable generic term has never been adopted to describe this or any other heritage language in Fiji. This chapter traces the development of FH and the forces that have allowed it to be maintained as mother tongue of the Indo-Fijians and those that have influenced attitudes towards it. It explores the current status of the language in Fiji and in the diaspora in which Indo-Fijians continue to use it to mark their identity. Social media has contributed considerably to its maintenance and continued use in recent years. Because it is a preliterate language, the absence of a written script continues to hamper its use for literacy purposes. Oral competence in the language continues to be high among Indo-Fijians.
