Pitkern | |
---|---|
Pitkern–Norfolk Pitcairn–Norfolk | |
Native to | Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Islands, New Zealand |
Ethnicity | Pitcairn Islanders |
Native speakers | ca. 400 Pitcairn-Norfolk (2008)[1] 36 on Pitcairn (2002) |
Dialects | |
Latin (Norfolk/Pitcairnese alphabet) | |
Official status | |
Official language in | Pitcairn Islands |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | pih Pitcairn-Norfolk |
Glottolog | pitc1234 Pitcairn-Norfolk |
ELP | Pitcairn-Norfolk |
Linguasphere | 52-ABB-dd |
Pitcairn is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger |
Pitkern, also known as Pitcairn-Norfolk or Pitcairnese, is a language spoken on Pitcairn and Norfolk islands. It is a mixture of English and Tahitian, and has been given many classifications by scholars, including cant, patois, and Atlantic creole.[2] Although spoken on Pacific Ocean islands, it has been described as an Atlantic or semi-Atlantic creole due to the lack of connections with other English-based creoles of the Pacific.[3] There are fewer than 50 speakers on Pitcairn Island, a number which has been steadily decreasing since 1971.[4][5]