Mawyer discussed the significance of the Tahitian language in the varied contexts of everyday life in French Polynesia. The discussion was centered around the European Court of Human Rights decision to throw out a complaint by a French Polynesian assembly member over a ban to use Tahitian in the legislature because it not within their legislative boundaries. In 2006, a French supreme court ruled that Tahitian wasn’t allowed to be used during assembly debates. Mawyer argues that more is at stake than political etiquette and procedure in a state’s affirmation and formal recognition of language rights for speakers of minority languages.

Mawyer has worked on language and cultural issues in French Polynesia since 1997 and put together the only anthology of translated Tahitian literature.