Freelang Tahitian-English dictionary

Tahitian – Staying Alive Beneath the Dominance of French

As a Pacific colony of the French, Tahiti suffered the same fate as many other colonies – its native language became somewhat displaced by the language of the colonizers. But Tahitian language remains alive and well on the island nation despite the continuing dominance of French. In fact, luxury cruise lines are now even offering their passengers Tahitian lessons so they can communicate with locals in the native language when they disembark. The cruise lines believe this will [...]

The Tahitian Language spoken in French Polynesia

The French Supreme Court annulled two laws that were passed in the French assembly because the debate that led to the passing of the two laws were held in Tahitian. French is recognized as the official language that is to be used within the assembly. This resulted in calls by Edouard Fritch, the president of French Polynesia’s territorial assembly, to recognize Tahitian as an official language. Even though French is the official language in Tahiti, Tahitian is widely spoken [...]