New technologies and language shifting in Vanuatu

Vandeputte-Tavo, Leslie

doi:10.1075/prag.23.1.08van

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Scholars in other arenas have also drawn attention to language shift and language choice in relation to new technologies even where literacy rates are low (Deumert and Masinyana ; De Bruijn et al . ; Vandeputte‐Tavo ). In the ways identified above, Ngaanyatjarra youth are revealing the positive aspects of changing communication modes in response to new technologies and showing themselves to be adept at integrating new cultural forms (Fig.…”

Section: ‘Technology Yarning’: Oral To Written Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting perceptions, shifting identities: Communication technologies and the altered social, cultural and linguistic ecology in a remote indigenous context

Kral

2014

Australian J of Anthropology

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While a digital divide remains evident in many remote Indigenous Australian communities, individual and collective information and communication technologies practices have developed in accordance with broadband, satellite or WiFi availability. This article examines the ways in which Indigenous youth in remote Australia are 'coming of age' in contexts where digitallymediated social interaction is a taken-for-granted aspect of social practice, communication and learning. While there are many positive aspects to this rapid development, it can also lead to intergenerational tensions as young people explore new patterns of behaviour, and older people come to terms with new cultural challenges. Drawing on long-term ethnographic observations in Central Australia, the impact of technology and the shift in perceptions, communication modes, and social and cultural practice across the generations in the Western Desert region are traced.

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Section: ‘Technology Yarning’: Oral To Written Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting perceptions, shifting identities: Communication technologies and the altered social, cultural and linguistic ecology in a remote indigenous context

Kral

2014

Australian J of Anthropology

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“…Foster (2020) expands on the same concept of the moral economy of mobile phones, focusing on the relationships between consumers, mobile phone providers and state regulators. A number of other recent articles also explore the influence of mobile phone usage in the Pacific on social relationships (Andersen, 2013;Kraemer, 2015;Lipset, 2013;Singh & Nadarajah, 2011;Taylor, 2015;Telban & Vávrová, 2014;Watson, 2013;Watson & Duffield, 2016); on language usage (Handman, 2013;Temple, 2011;Vandeputte-Tavo, 2013); and on the reshaping of approaches to political campaigning and advocacy (Tarai et al, 2015;Titifanue et al, 2016Titifanue et al, , 2017. A recurring theme throughout these studies is the arrival of Digicel, which has swept across six countries of the region since 2006 (Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu), always with a splash and almost always with great success (Horst, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 6 6 Vandeputte‐Tavo (2013) has documented the prevalence of the two languages appearing together on social media, and the increasing prestige afforded to Bislama. Since that time, it appears that more deliberate codemixing has started to be used for strategic purposes, targeting those who can tap into both codes and will respond to their combined effect. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Digicel! Topap long ples ia! An international telecommunications company making itself at home in the urban landscapes of Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga

Willans

Gure

Vaifale

et al. 2022

Australian J of Anthropology

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Mobile phone usage has increased at an unprecedented rate across the Pacific over the past 10–15 years, radically transforming the way communication takes place. The catalyst for this transformation is generally attributed to the breakdown of monopolies previously held by national telecom corporations over their own domestic markets, and the entrance of one particular new provider, Digicel. This paper examines the strategies through which Digicel has managed to insert itself into the visual landscape of the urban spaces of Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga. Through multimodal analysis of digital photographs from the landscapes of these countries' capital cities, the paper shows how the global company makes use of a range of techniques to establish its own place and identity as a local network. These techniques include the demonstration of largesse and dominance over competitors, slogans that stake a claim to belonging, and the use of local language terms and images that juxtapose the local with the global. Through these techniques, Digicel manages to position itself simultaneously as the provider both of fast and reliable global communication technologies and of a truly local, national service, while also radically transforming the physical spaces of our cities as it has made itself at home here.

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“…It is estimated to have a population around 48,000 with around 70 percent of the population living in rural areas with varying degrees of remoteness from agricultural and development resources (Vanuatu National Statistics Office, 2009;Weightman, 1989). While some 76 percent of households in Vanuatu own a mobile phone and live in areas with mobile phone reception, I found that the transfer of agricultural knowledge and advice is still very much a face to face activity (Vandeputte-Tavo, 2013).…”

Section: Village Perception Of Agricultural Education Resources 41 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Local Learnings from Local Voices: Exploring rural ni-Vanuatu perspectives of agricultural education and extension services in Santo, Vanuatu

Bird¹

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<p>Over the past 100 years, Vanuatu has seen the growth of a commercial agricultural sector through the influence of colonial interests. However, around 80 percent of the population still rely on semi-subsistence agriculture for their daily well-being. Agricultural education and extension resources operate across Vanuatu but are centralised around the Santo, the largest of Vanuatu’s 83 islands. However, their use by rural villages is limited despite growing recognition within rural communities that agricultural practices need to evolve in order to address issues such as climate change and food security. This led me to ask the questions: what are the ways in which villagers engage with these agricultural development resources; what influences whether they use these resources or not; and what would help improve engagement between villagers and resources? To answer these questions, I undertook this research using an indigenous Pacific research methodology which aligns the data collection approach and process with traditional practices of knowledge sharing and relationship building such as storytelling and open group discussions. This included living in three different villages, building relationship, conversing in Bislama, and conducting semi-structured group discussions in the traditional ni-Vanuatu format of storian. This research found an apparent disconnect between the rural village context and agricultural education and extension services on Santo. All three villages had minimal engagement with these resources, more regularly receiving agricultural information through other villagers. From the villagers’ perspective, in-village engagement is the most desirable and effective form of engagement. Perceptions of the present situation were dominantly negative with high travel costs, inconsistency in staff availability, past negative experiences with resources, education courses being too long and costly for many villages to attend and contextually misaligned information all influencing poor resource use. Villagers also highlighted the growing impact that climate change is having on food production, with changes to seasonal patterns, increasing weather extremes, and crop failures leading to dietary changes and growing food insecurity. However, villagers, in general, do recognise the potential benefits of agricultural development resources and do want greater engagement. Both past engagement examples and international examples offer options for a way forward and there are positive signs on the horizon. The need for more effective and community focused engagement is only going to increase due to climate change, growing urbanisation, and increasing food insecurity and greater recognition of the local perspective will be essential in order to address the challenges to come.</p>

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New technologies and language shifting in Vanuatu

Cited by 11 publications

References 4 publications

Shifting perceptions, shifting identities: Communication technologies and the altered social, cultural and linguistic ecology in a remote indigenous context

Shifting perceptions, shifting identities: Communication technologies and the altered social, cultural and linguistic ecology in a remote indigenous context

Digicel! Topap long ples ia! An international telecommunications company making itself at home in the urban landscapes of Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga

Local Learnings from Local Voices: Exploring rural ni-Vanuatu perspectives of agricultural education and extension services in Santo, Vanuatu

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