Mobile phone usage has increased at an unprecedented rate across the Pacific over the past 10-15 years, radically transforming the way communication takes place. The catalyst for this transformation is generally attributed to the breakdown of monopolies previously held by national telecom corporations over their own domestic markets, and the entrance of one particular new provider, Digicel. This paper examines the strategies through which Digicel has managed to insert itself into the visual landscape of the urban spaces of Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga. Through multimodal analysis of digital photographs from the landscapes of these countries' capital cities, the paper shows how the global company makes use of a range of techniques to establish its own place and identity as a local network. These techniques include the demonstration of largesse and dominance over competitors, slogans that stake a claim to belonging, and the use of local language terms and images that juxtapose the local with the global. Through these techniques, Digicel manages to position itself simultaneously as the provider both of fast and reliable global communication technologies and of a truly local, national service, while also radically transforming the physical spaces of our cities as it has made itself at home here.

While more and more universities in traditionally non-Anglophone countries are moving towards English medium instruction (EMI), those of the nominally Anglophone postcolonial world are carrying on with business as usual. Higher education in many postcolonial countries has typically only ever been available through the language of the former colonisers, so many institutions in former British colonies now find themselves ahead of the global trend. This paper considers what lessons can be learnt from postcolonial 'old EMI' universities, as we see more and more institutions swept up in the scramble for EMI. Universities looking to join the neo-Anglophone higher education sector would do well to learn from the decades of experience of many postcolonial universities who are still struggling to create the ideal learning and teaching environments for their students and staff through an L2 medium of instruction, and who may now be wondering why others are choosing to follow suit.

This chapter discusses a formative assessment activity conducted in a teacher education course called “English in the Pacific.” Using Moodle-based discussion forums, it is designed to promote reflection on five key themes: that English is, linguistically, not superior to any other language; that it is neither pure nor unchanging; that it has gained power and prestige through phenomena such as colonialism and globalization; that “Standard English” is an important (albeit contested) notion, and learners do need access to whichever variety carries prestige; and that, although there is no single “Standard English,” this does not mean that anything goes. Reflections from the field indicate that the activity enables teachers to reflect on their own prior beliefs and insecurities about the nature of English, while benefiting from the chance to review the reflections of their classmates. This activity is particularly suitable for Outer Circle contexts, and is easily adaptable for those in Expanding Circle contexts.

One factor that has united Fijians of Indian descent is the language of Fiji Hindi, or Fiji Baat. Developed on the plantations of the indenture period, it is now the mother tongue of virtually all Indo-Fijians, distinct from the Standard Hindi that is taught in schools. This paper examines the way these two varieties of Hindi have been metalinguistically reconstructed from the early colonial period to the present day, focusing particularly on the labels Hindustani, Hindi, Fiji Hindi and Fiji Baat. We examine the extent to which Fiji Hindi fits into the pan-Fijian identity that is supposed to unite all Fiji citizens without drawing attention to ethnic difference. We argue that the acceptance of Fiji Hindi as part of a hybrid national identity is impeded both by this political erasure of ethnicity, and by the lingering negative attitudes expressed by its own speakers about the intralingual variation within Hindi.

This paper examines the visibility of different languages within the landscapes of two capital cities, Suva (Fiji) and Port Vila (Vanuatu), as an exploration of symbolic constructions of national identity. Data from digital photographs is analysed from four different angles: the languages that appear to be used to serve and sell to the multilingual public of each city; the languages that are found on top-down official signage; the presence or absence of the indigenous languages of the land from which independent nations have been created; and the fusions of multiple linguistic resources together as signs of a national linguistic hybridity that is meaningful to all.

This paper considers an appropriate pedagogy for indigenous language programmes at tertiary level in a context in which a former colonial language has become the default as both medium of instruction and subject of academic study. This pedagogy is guided by an overarching commitment to decolonisation of the academic space, is grounded in the sociolinguistic realities of each specific context, and remains flexible enough to accommodate the complexities that are inevitable when a language is made welcome for the first time in a new domain. A recent expansion in the number of languages offered for study at the University of the South Pacific serves as the backdrop to this discussion.

This paper reports on the evaluation of an ambitious attempt to embed academic literacy support within a core content course for first-year students at the University of the South Pacific. The course is offered in both blended and online modes, catering for on-campus and off-campus students, respectively, using Moodle as the virtual learning environment (VLE). We begin by explaining how we have made the most of Moodle as a learning platform, enabling us to supplement the core content resources with additional components that support students' academic literacy development, rather than sacrificing content to create this space. Since the additional material is embedded into the main learning design of the course, students acquire academic literacy within the disciplinary context of their academic programme, rather than through standalone 'study skills' provision that is devoid of content. We then devote the majority of the paper to discussing the evaluation of this course design, again explaining how we have made the most of Moodle to do so. We have used learning analytics data from Moodle tracking and completion reports to calculate engagement scores for each student, focusing on a composite of their access to resources, their compliance with sequencing and timing, their investment in activities, and their overall achievement. We have then examined the extent to which the different elements of engagement appear to impact achievement in assignments, demonstrating that the students who achieved the highest grades were those who accessed more materials, kept up with the intended schedule, and invested more than they needed to in activities, despite no immediate rewards for doing so.

This paper provides an update to Lynch and Mugler’s (2002) article on Pacific languages at the University of the South Pacific (USP). I begin with a brief overview of how Pacific languages have been incorporated within the curriculum and research priorities of USP during its first 50 years, highlighting a number of recent initiatives that we have implemented to bolster the institutional visibility and status of the languages of this region. I then turn to the question in the subtitle: Who will take them forward? This is a deliberately ambiguous question with at least three potential interpretations: It is, firstly, an academic question about whether the languages of the region are being passed on to future generations, and how worried we should be about their sustainability. It is, secondly, a speculative question about how USP can work together with partners across member countries and beyond to build and sustain our teaching and research in and about so many languages. It is, thirdly, a slightly awkward question about who gets to talk and teach and do research about Pacific languages, addressing issues such as insider/outsider claims to knowledge as well as institutional constraints that may be serving to silence certain voices. I write as the discipline coordinator for Linguistics and Languages, but also as an outsider to the region.

This chapter discusses data collected from two neighbouring schools that shows the way staff, students and community members talk about the idea of English-French 'bilingualism' in multiple ways: as double the opportunity, as an essential part of identity, and as part of the colonial heritage that people want to hold onto. It is clear that ni-Vanuatu want to keep both languages. However, inside the Anglophone school, no French is spoken; inside the Francophone school, no English is spoken; and outside school, neither language is heard at all. More importantly, proficiency levels of both English and French show some cause for concern at both schools. The medium of instruction causes a challenge for learning at both schools, and 'bilingualism' in English and French is far from reality. The symbolic construction of English/French 'bilingualism' is very present, but the functional use of either language is limited.

In this response to Mufwene's (2017) target article we discuss the benefits and disadvantages of extending the ecology metaphor into studies of language vitality, focusing on contexts from the South Pacific. We show that an ecological perspective allows us to focus on the local and particular and can help us to avoid a simplistic reliance on broad phenomena such as 'globalization' to account for language endangerment and loss (LEL). However, we contend that this endeavor runs the risk of abstracting away from the human experience of LEL into a 'survival of the fittest' or 'balance sheet' approach. We conclude that, while it has benefits, the ecology metaphor does not ultimately offer a compelling basis for an overarching theory of language vitality.

This paper analyses the participatory space for political debate opened up by social media in Vanuatu with reference to the implementation of a recent language-in-education policy, jointly funded by the governments of Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand. Although Vanuatu appears to have been debating the same language issues for several decades, what is new is the level of participatory engagement in political matters, with the Facebook group Yumi Toktok Stret (YTS) providing one platform through which democratic citizenship is established and negotiated. Analysis of a debate that erupted in the group in March 2016 reveals significant disquiet and confusion about a change to the medium of instruction in early primary education. I argue that social media provides an invaluable insight into the extent to which the general public understands, feels consulted about and supports policy change. The debate on YTS also shows that the Government, its international development partners and technical advisors would be well advised to pay attention to such debates, and engage with social media as a new mediated "think tank" through which new policies can be democratically debated.

Language-in-education policies are developed and implemented within contexts of great complexity. Where policies appear less than perfect on paper, this presents a valuable opportunity to examine the contextual factors that have led to their development, helping policymakers to understand the conditions under which policy change must take place. This paper considers an early-exit transitional model of multilingual education that has recently been endorsed in Vanuatu. While the academic literature would conclude that this model is far from ideal, this paper suggests that the time is right for the type of change that is being implemented in this context. It examines the historico-political factors that have left this problematic policy as the best chance of change, and identifies ways in which it could be modified within a plurilingual approach across the whole curriculum.