Pitkern
| Pitkern | |
|---|---|
| Pitkern–Norfolk Pitcairn–Norfolk | |
| Native to | Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Islands, New Zealand |
| Ethnicity | Pitcairn Islanders |
Native speakers | ca. 400 Pitcairn-Norfolk (2008) 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 |
| IETF | pih-PN |
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. 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. There are fewer than 50 speakers on Pitcairn Island, a number which has been steadily decreasing since 1971.