Call me old-fashioned but

from w
Call me old-fashioned but I don't intend to use the term i-taukei every time I need to describe what the old word 'Fijian' meant. Look at this article and how silly it sounds with every mention of the word i-taukei which means land-owning anyway. Okay, good move by this gentleman to produce books for the school-kids using songs. Way to go. It's only one of the Fijian languages of course. Are there going to be books for the Labasa kids with words such as aaaa in them. A'a'a'a of course is the Labasa word for katakata - meaning hot.

From the Fiji FBC yesterday:
Passion for the language makes Lote write
Sunday, September 26, 2010
He loves his mother-tongue so much that he teaches, produces songs and composes music in it. And now he has written three books in his mother-tongue. Former school teacher Etonia Lote says his passion for the i-taukei language prompted him to write the books“ Moli Koula” – the “Uto ni Moli Koula” and “Na Coke ni Moli Koula.” The three books - written in the i-taukei language were launched yesterday at the Holiday Inn in Suva. Lote says he would like to see the i-taukei students in country be taught their language and their culture.

“I love speaking the i-taukei language ad I love teaching the i-taukei language to i-taukei students. I also love teaching i-taukei students how to behave and how to keep that high discipline in their classroom and how to behave at home. I felt that it would be good to show it in the text books – so that teachers all over Fiji can teach the students – the i-taukei students about what we expect from them.”

Meanwhile Education Minister Filipe Bole had commended Lote for writing the books.

The three books come with an audio CD which has about 30 songs – all in the i-taukei language. Bole says the inclusion of the songs has taken teaching to another level. “This is the first time it’s come out in this form. A workbook for the teachers, a workbook for the students and there’s the story and in addition there’s a CD. It’s a new type of teaching where lessons are taught in music. The words of the music are used in all sorts of things – you know – for grammar and other parts of the i-taukei language.”

The books will be used by forms 5, 6 and 7 students next year.