Title: Language community attitudes and their implications for the maintenance and promotion of the Tongan language

Abstract: This article is a valuable summary of Dr Taufe’ulungaki’s doctoral thesis research. It is a crucial discussion, not only for language planners throughout the Pacific region, but also for anyone concerned with bilingual issues generally. The article is somewhat rare for Directions, as it reports and reflects on research carried out by a Pacific Island researcher. We firmly believe that the more such research and commentaries we have, the more we can fully tap the store of traditional knowledge, a process which will surely enhance cultural democracy in education, as sought by Konai Helu Thaman.

Title: Language switching and mathematical understanding in Tongan classrooms: an investigation

Abstract: This paper discusses how mathematical understanding and language switching influence each other in a bilingual context. The discussion questions long-held misconceptions about bilingual learning contexts that have overlooked the fact that the nature of bilingual students. mathematical understanding may be similar to monolingual students, and that bilingual students can voluntarily switch languages in the process of talking about, or doing, mathematics. The evidence from a study in Tonga proposes that the effect of Tongan bilingual students. learning and development of understanding in mathematics is largely dependent on the kinds of mathematical images each bilingual student associates with his or her language. The findings from this study are certainly applicable to other similar bilingual situations that involve individuals using words with no direct or precise translation from a dominant western language to an indigenous vernacular.