Pitcairn-Norfolk in Pitcairn Islands

Speakers

42

Type

Location

Information available

1. Basics

Names

Pitcairn-Norfolk in Pitcairn Islands

Size

42

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. 

Following the Mutiny on the HMS Bounty on 28 April 1789, the British mutineers stopped at Tahiti and took 18 Polynesians, mostly women, to remote Pitcairn Island and settled there. A pidgin was formed based on English and Tahitian so that the English mutineers could communicate with the Tahitian women they brought to the previously uninhabited Pitcairn Island. The Pitkern language was influenced by the diverse English dialects and accents of the crew.

2. Status

Status

  • Official country wide language
  • Official regional language
  • Official minority language
  • Recognised community language
  • Unrecognised community language
National language
No
Indigenous language
Yes

3. State

Documentation: materials

4. Users

Size / Number of users

Number of users

42

Users within total population

51.00000
More than 50% use the language

PROPORTION

Actual percentage
51

5. Use

Completion