61 (1983 WA). A British colony. The number of languages listed for Pitcairn is 2. Of those, 1 is a living language and 1 is a second language with no mother tongue speakers.
ENGLISH [ENG] 322,000,000 in all countries (1995 WA). Indo-European, Germanic, West, North Sea, English. National language. Bible 1535-1989. NT 1525-1985. Bible portions 1530-1987.
PITCAIRN-NORFOLK [PIH] (Fewer than 50 on Pitcairn; 580 on Norfolk; 1989 J. Holm; 630 or fewer in all countries). Pitcairn Island, Norfolk Island, Fiji, and some second generation Pitcairn Islanders in Australia and New Zealand. English-Tahitian cant. Dialect: PITCAIRN ENGLISH. Developed from mutineers settling on Pitcairn in 1790. Some were removed to Norfolk in 1859. Slightly different variety than in Norfolk. An in-group language to assist in the preservation of identity. People speak Standard British English as mother tongue. Christian. Second language only. No mother tongue speakers.
Part of the Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor.
Copyright © 1996, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc. All rights reserved.
If you have questions, comments, or updates on the Ethnologue, go to the Feedback page.
[Pacific | Areas | Ethnologue Home | SIL Home]