This same individual expressed strong interest in the survival of his language, although he admitted that he did not believe it will continue to be used. When the team suggested that he could begin tape
recording stories in Dawang with translations in Tok Pisin, he seemed very interested in the idea. It was not clear though, whether this was simply to respond positively to the suggestion.
When a group of community members were asked what they thought about children mixing Tok Pisin and Pano, they said sometimes they thought it was not good. When asked what languages they
want their children to know well, they indicated all of their vernaculars. They also indicated that this question by the team caused them to think more about what languages they wanted their children to
know. When asked what language they thought their children and grandchildren will use when they grow up, the people said, “Pano” and “Tok Pisin.” Some parents said that this is not good; their children
should know Molet and Dawang too. Parents said that children do not speak Dawang and Molet more because they aren’t being taught. One person said children complain that their parents haven’t taught
them their vernacular.
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A contradictory report was given by a group of teenagers. As related in section 4.2.1, they said that Pano is the Mur community’s only vernacular. Additionally, as related in section 4.2.7, Pano-speaking
children become frustrated with their classmates’ lack of fluency in Pano. When a group of villagers was asked what language they liked to listen to stories in, a woman from a
Dawang clan said, “Pano.” The rest of the group agreed but added Tok Pisin as well. This does not likely reflect a lack of desire in the community to hear stories in Molet or Dawang so much as it reflects the
reality that the community understands Pano and Tok Pisin better than the two minority vernaculars.
4.3.2 As Report by school staff
Attitudes to the Mur vernaculars at the schools are evidenced by data given in section 4.2.7. Right now, the attitude toward the Pano vernacular is very positive. The teachers in charge of the new primary
school are both from outside the Mur community, yet one of them said he is learning Pano so he can give students direction in various situations. The school teachers also reported that it would be good to
read in Pano to strengthen the language’s vitality. However, the school is considering adopting an English-only policy that would attempt to eliminate students’ use of vernacular languages in the schools.
It is therefore not clear what role, if any, the teachers envision Pano playing in education in the future. The Molet and Dawang vernaculars have not been part of the local education system. As noted in
section 4.2.7, the team’s understanding is that nobody from the Mur community requested use of these vernaculars in the schools. In addition, the teachers who saw value in the theoretical use of Pano
literature to strengthen the language’s vitality did not express the same thought about Molet or Dawang.
4.3.3 As Report by church leaders
The church leaders interviewed believe that Pano and Molet are more clearly understood by the congregations than Tok Pisin. This is why Pano and Molet are used to give explanations during church
meetings. The interviewees said that although they are using the Tok Pisin translation of the Bible, they would like to have Pano, Molet, and Dawang translations available. These translations would help people
to understand the deeper levels of meaning in the Bible.
4.3.4 Inference from behaviour
The team observed a gap between perceived and actual language use in Mur, which is particularly telling about language attitudes. People reported that Molet and Dawang are still spoken on a regular basis in
the Mur village area, but as mentioned in section 4.2.4, the survey team was hard-put to find some of the reported centres of these languages. There were also conflicting reports that these vernaculars are not
used much in daily conversation and that children generally do not speak them. This difference between
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The team thinks the person was talking about Dawang.
