The national language of most Pacific island nations today, English has a long history of development and use in the Pacific, from whaling and trading days to missionization, colonization, plantation labor, and then national independence. This paper traces the history of English and the development of English?based Pijin in the Solomon Islands, whose language use history is similar to other Melanesian nations. The current role of English and Pijin in the Solomons and their mutual influences are then discussed.