Wendy Cumming-Potvin

This case study is based on research conducted within the plurilingual context of Vanuatu, formerly a condominium colony of Britain and France. A surfeit of heritage languages exists within this context, alongside the European languages of English and French and the national language of Bislama, an English-lexifier pidgin. With the existence of between 106 and 138 vernaculars, classroom language use is complex and exacerbated by a government policy that stipulates English and French as the official languages of education, while the use of heritage languages in the first 3 years of school is encouraged. Language use in Vanuatu education is confined within the parameters of the nation’s history, government policy, and the language preference of educators. Colonial history and globalization, which have privileged English as a world language, have created a dilemma demanding examination through the experiences of the past, current trends, and future needs. This case study addresses the pragmatics of a narrative historical approach that integrates historical understanding, conversational interviews, and analysis of educational policy documents. This methodologic framework enables researchers to gain insight into colonial accounts of the past and make comparisons with Indigenous accounts of history and the cultures, values, and languages in existence today. The research for this case study was conducted at the height of COVID-19 travel restrictions, making the use of technology necessary for conversation. Although face-to-face computer platforms elevate Western technology and function counter to the decolonizing practice of relationship-based yarning, the need for COVID-safe protocols and the desire of participants to voice their experiences permitted relaxed communication via the internet. Therefore, in this study, technology was not detrimental to the effective use of decolonizing methods.