Stealing foreign words, recovering local treasures: B ible translation and vernacular literacy on R anongga ( S olomon I slands)
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: InOceania, which is arguably both the world's most linguistically diverse region and its mostChristian,Bible translation projects are sites where ordinary people pay attention to the kind of ‘interlingual articulations’ that are the focus of this special issue. This article focuses on an ongoing vernacular revival movement that arose from the translation of the New Testament intoLuqa, anAustronesian language ofRanonggaIsland in theSolomonIslands’WesternProvince. In 2000, the head translator began running workshops that encouraged native speakers to appreciate the lexical diversity and learn the grammatical structures of their language. In the context of theBible translation and these language workshops, the vernacular is understood to be, simultaneously, an adequately transparent vehicle forGod'sWord and something of value in and of itself. In elevating the status of the vernacular, participants also hope to elevate the status of local territories and communities marginalised in an increasinglyEnglish‐speaking regional world.
DOI: 10.1111/taja.12003
Author: Debra McDougall
Institution: The University of Western Australia
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: Wenner-Gren Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W2032636225