Norfuk language

For the dialect of the English county of Norfolk, see Norfolk dialect.
See also: Pitkern language

Norfolk
Norfuk, Norf'k
Pronunciation[nɔːfuk]
RegionNorfolk Island and Lord Howe Island
Native speakers
2,000 (2002–2017)[1]
6 on Lord Howe Island[2]
English–Tahitian creole
Latin (Norfolk/Pitcairnese alphabet)
Official status
Official language in
 Norfolk Island[3]
Language codes
ISO 639-3pih Pitcairn-Norfolk
Glottologpitc1234  Pitcairn-Norfolk
Linguasphere52-ABB-dd
IETFpih-NF
Norfuk is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Norfuk (Pitcairn-Norfolk: Norfuk) (increasingly spelt Norfolk) or Norf'k[4] is the language spoken on Norfolk Island (in the Pacific Ocean) by the local residents. It is a blend of 18th-century English and Tahitian, originally introduced by Pitkern-speaking settlers from the Pitcairn Islands. Along with English, it is the co-official language of Norfolk Island.[5][6]

Norfuk has always been a linguistic cant.[7] As travel to and from Norfolk Island becomes more common, Norfuk is falling into disuse.[8] Efforts are being made to restore the language to more common usage, such as the education of children, the publication of English–Norfuk dictionaries, the use of the language in signage, and the renaming of some tourist attractions – most notably the rainforest walk "A Trip Ina Stik" – to their Norfuk equivalents. In 2007, the United Nations added Norfuk to its list of endangered languages.[9]

  1. ^ Norfolk at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ "2016 Census QuickStats: Lord Howe Island".
  3. ^ "Archived copy". www.info.gov.nf. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Norfolk Island Language (Norf'k) Act 2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ The Dominion Post. 21 April 2005. p. B3. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Save our dialect, say Bounty islanders". The Daily Telegraph. 19 April 2005. Archived from the original on 10 December 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  7. ^ Donald Laycock (1989) 'The Status of Pitcairn-Norfolk: Creole, Dialect or Cant? In Ammon (ed.) Status and Function of Language and Language Varieties, Walter de Gruyter
  8. ^ Feizkhah, Elizabeth (6 August 2001), "Keeping Norfolk Alive", TIME Pacific, archived from the original on 13 October 2005
  9. ^ "UN adds Norfolk language to endangered list". ABC News. Retrieved 5 May 2013.