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The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a regional university owned by and serving twelve Pacific countries, in which about two hundred vernacular languages are spoken. English is the major medium of instruction at USP, and is also the major language of post-primary teaching in all twelve countries. However, some use is made of some vernaculars in primary education, and also in media and government, though the amount varies from country to country. English was USP's main focus for the first 15 years of the University's existence, until the Pacific Languages Unit was established in 1983. USP then began offering short intensive courses on and in Bislama and later Fijian, and has since approved a Pacific Vernaculars Programme, which can be taken as a major in a degree programme. Fijian and Hindi Studies are now relatively well established within this programme, with plans for other languages to be brought into the programme in the near future. Major problems include the need for metalinguistic terminology in many Pacific languages, development of vernacular literature and, in some cases, establishment of standard orthographies.
