Fiji Hindi (New Testament) (HIFBSP)

Overview

The Fiji Hindi New Testament, titled Nawa Haup, was published in 2002 by the Bible Society of the South Pacific, based in Suva, Fiji. [1] It was rendered in Roman script so that Indo-Fijian readers unfamiliar with Devanagari could read it. Fiji Hindi (also called Fijian Baat or Fiji Baat) is a distinct Eastern Hindi creole language that developed among Indian indentured laborers brought to Fiji from northeastern India between 1879 and the 1920s under the British colonial girmit system, and is now a de facto language of national identity. [2] The language is a koine based primarily on Awadhi, with significant influence from Bhojpuri, Maithili, and other Eastern Hindi varieties, as well as English, Fijian, and several South Indian languages. [2] The Nawa Haup New Testament serves the Indo-Fijian Christian community, making Scripture available in their mother tongue rather than in Standard Hindi, which differs substantially from the spoken Fiji Hindi vernacular.

[2] [Fiji Hindi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji_Hindi) - Wikipedia. Language origins, classification, and history.

Language and People

Fiji Hindi (ISO 639-3: hif) is spoken by approximately 198,380 people. [Glottolog: fiji1242]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by BS in the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.

References