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Languages of New Caledonia
In New Caledonia, a sui generis collectivity of France, French is the official and predominant language. The collectivity is also home to about thirty New Caledonian languages, which form a branch of the Southern Oceanic languages. They are spoken mainly by the indigenous Kanaks of the islands. Due to the large tourism industry, English is also commonly understood, especially among young people and in tourist areas.
At the outset of colonisation, Kanaks primarily spoke their native languages, and, in case of need, used Bislama, an Anglo-Melanesian language whose lexical basis is essentially English. This language allowed them to communicate with shopkeepers or with other Melanesian populations. Those native languages were favoured by some Protestant missionaries to evangelise the population, though Catholic missionaries preferred the usage of French.
In 1853, a decree imposed the teaching of French in every school of the colony, and ten years later, only the teaching of French was allowed.
New Caledonia's population is constituted of numerous ethnic groups, but most residents are of Kanak, European or mixed origin. Nowadays, there are about 30 Melanesian languages spoken in the territory, as well as languages peculiar to the immigrant populations (Javanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Indian (Hindi), Filipino and others). Those populations primarily immigrated to New Caledonia during the nickel rush. The native languages of New Caledonia are part of the Austronesian family. This family extends from the island of Madagascar, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and covers almost all of the Pacific.
New Caledonians of European descent generally speak French natively, and it is spoken by nearly all the remainder of the population as either a first or second language. New Caledonian French is characterised by some phonetic particularities and specific grammatical constructions derived from native languages and from Australian English.
At the 2009 census, 97.3% of New Caledonians aged 15 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French, whereas only 1.1% reported that they had no knowledge of French. No questions regarding the knowledge of French were asked in the 2014 and 2019 censuses, on account of the population's nearly universal understanding of it.
In the early colonial era, there had been a French pidgin used in New Caledonia as a contact language, especially along the east coast, alongside Bislama, and today there is a local French creole known as Tayo that may descend from it.
The forty native languages of New Caledonia form two branches of the Southern Oceanic languages, part of the Austronesian family; West Uvean is Polynesian. Their speakers are known as Kanaks. The most important are: Drehu, Nengone, Paicî, Ajië, and Xârâcùù. People living around Nouméa prior to French settlement spoke Ndrumbea. The other languages are spoken by a few hundred to couple thousand people and are endangered. Many Kanaks do not know their native languages very well because of the wide usage of French.
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Languages of New Caledonia
In New Caledonia, a sui generis collectivity of France, French is the official and predominant language. The collectivity is also home to about thirty New Caledonian languages, which form a branch of the Southern Oceanic languages. They are spoken mainly by the indigenous Kanaks of the islands. Due to the large tourism industry, English is also commonly understood, especially among young people and in tourist areas.
At the outset of colonisation, Kanaks primarily spoke their native languages, and, in case of need, used Bislama, an Anglo-Melanesian language whose lexical basis is essentially English. This language allowed them to communicate with shopkeepers or with other Melanesian populations. Those native languages were favoured by some Protestant missionaries to evangelise the population, though Catholic missionaries preferred the usage of French.
In 1853, a decree imposed the teaching of French in every school of the colony, and ten years later, only the teaching of French was allowed.
New Caledonia's population is constituted of numerous ethnic groups, but most residents are of Kanak, European or mixed origin. Nowadays, there are about 30 Melanesian languages spoken in the territory, as well as languages peculiar to the immigrant populations (Javanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Indian (Hindi), Filipino and others). Those populations primarily immigrated to New Caledonia during the nickel rush. The native languages of New Caledonia are part of the Austronesian family. This family extends from the island of Madagascar, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and covers almost all of the Pacific.
New Caledonians of European descent generally speak French natively, and it is spoken by nearly all the remainder of the population as either a first or second language. New Caledonian French is characterised by some phonetic particularities and specific grammatical constructions derived from native languages and from Australian English.
At the 2009 census, 97.3% of New Caledonians aged 15 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French, whereas only 1.1% reported that they had no knowledge of French. No questions regarding the knowledge of French were asked in the 2014 and 2019 censuses, on account of the population's nearly universal understanding of it.
In the early colonial era, there had been a French pidgin used in New Caledonia as a contact language, especially along the east coast, alongside Bislama, and today there is a local French creole known as Tayo that may descend from it.
The forty native languages of New Caledonia form two branches of the Southern Oceanic languages, part of the Austronesian family; West Uvean is Polynesian. Their speakers are known as Kanaks. The most important are: Drehu, Nengone, Paicî, Ajië, and Xârâcùù. People living around Nouméa prior to French settlement spoke Ndrumbea. The other languages are spoken by a few hundred to couple thousand people and are endangered. Many Kanaks do not know their native languages very well because of the wide usage of French.