“What is Your Name?” Variations inFijian Languages and Their Pre-historicImplications

摘要

I often feel that field linguists form a unique category of mankind. And I happen to be one of them. When visiting a new place, probably one of the most common first considerations is how likely s/he will manage with the language skills that s/he has. If your own language, or a language you are familiar with, is spoken or known to be understood there, many people feel secure. But what if none of these languages is likely to work? I have seen many polyglot Europeans hesitate to visit Japan, because none of the many languages they speak is commonly used in this country.