hif ISO 639
Fiji Baat Autonyms
Fiji Hindi
Visualizations
A language of Fiji
- ISO 639
- hif
- Alternate Names
- Fiji Hindustani, “Fijian Hindi” (pej.), “Fijian Hindustani” (pej.)
- Autonym
- Fiji Baat
- Population
- 300,000 in Fiji, all users. L1 users: 148,000 in Fiji (2019). L2 users: 152,000 (2022). Total users in all countries: 329,510 (as L1: 177,510; as L2: 152,000).
- Location
- Widespread.
- Language Maps
- Language Status
- 3 (Wider communication). De facto language of national identity. Brought by British as indentured laborers from northeastern India from 1879 until the 1920s.
- Classification
- Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Eastern, East Central
- Dialects
- Labasa. No significant regional variation. A type of Awadhi [awa], also influenced by Bhojpuri [bho].
- Typology
- SOV; verb conjugations have been simplified from standard Hindi [hin].
- Language Use
- Used by all of Indian ancestry in Fiji. Indians who arrived after the indenture system as free immigrants continue to speak their languages at home, using English [eng] as the language to communicate with others. Home. All also use English [eng]. Used as L2 by Eastern Punjabi [pan], Gujarati [guj], Tamil [tam], Telugu [tel], Urdu [urd].
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L2: 85%. Taught in a few primary schools in early grades only. Newspapers. Radio. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2002.
- Writing
- Devanagari script [Deva]. Latin script [Latn].
- Other Comments
- Hindu, Muslim.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Fiji Hindi
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Australia
Language Name
Fiji Hindi
User Population
2,710 in Australia (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of New Zealand
Language Name
Fiji Hindi
User Population
26,800 in New Zealand (2018 census).
