This book contains some of the papers presented at the First International Conference on Oceanic Linguistics, held in Port Vila in 1993. Comparative-historical papers deal with classification (Robert Blust, Paul Geraghty), remnant languages (Tom Dutton), Proto Oceanic grammar (john Lynch), and lexical reconstruction (Ann Chowning, Meredith Osmond, Andrew Pawley, Malcolm Ross). There are descriptive studies of Tokelauan (Robin Hooper), Nengone (Wassissi Konui), Mandeghusu (Bill Palmer), Hula (Fa'afo Pat), Tongan (Melenaite Taumoefolau) and Mae-Morae (Darrell Tryon), as well as on Melanesian Pidgin (Pastor Bill Camden, Ernest W. Lee, Gillian Sankoff). There is also a variety of papers of a sociolinguistics nature (G.J. Fox, Helen Fox, Ross McKerras, Craig Volker, David S. Walker & Richard Leona, Deanne Wilson), including papers on language and education (Nicholas Faraclas, Heather Lotherington-Woloszyn, Malia Williams).