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From multilingualism to bilingualism: changes in language use, language value, and social mobility among Engdewu speakers in the Solomon Islands

2017; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 38; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01434632.2017.1284852

1747-7557

Rachel Emerine Hicks,

Island Studies and Pacific Affairs

On the island of Santa Cruz in the Solomon Islands, the Engdewu language is facing imminent language shift because of the increasing use of the lingua franca Solomon Islands Pijin in the community. In this article, I argue that this language shift is occurring because of changes to the social structure in Baemawz, one of the villages where Engdewu is spoken. The social structure is changing in two ways. First, because of the desire for economic advancement, people migrate off the island more frequently than in the past introducing them to the value of Pijin as a language for social and economic mobility. Second, intermarriage patterns are moving away from patrilocality to neolocality; husbands can now move into their wives' village bringing with them their local language. These changes affect the values that Engdewu and Pijin have in the community and the way these languages are used among children and adults leading to replacive bilingualism in a historically multilingual society.