Pitcairnese (also Pitkern) is a creole language formed on the basis of an 18th century dialect of the English language and the Tahitian language spoken in the Pitcairn Islands.

History

Following the Mutiny on the Bounty led by Fletcher Christian against William Bligh, the mutineers returned the ship to Tahiti and took with them 19 Tahitian men, women and children. The Bounty was then sailed to, and sunk off, Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific Ocean.

The fledgling community was forced to adapt to the needs of the Bounty crewmen knowing very little Tahitian and the Tahitians very little English. The resulting creole became Pitcairnese.

It is important, however, to note that the English-speaking crewmen did not all speak the same dialect of English. Geographically, the mutineers were drawn from as far as the West Indies, with one mutineer being described as speaking a forerunner of a Caribbean patois language, and one was also a Scotsman. Additionally, Fletcher Christian at least was a well-educated man, which at the time was a major difference in speech. The creole is clearly influenced by various English dialects and accents, with both Geordie and West Country having obvious links to some phrases and words (such as the use of the term "whettles" for food, i.e. old English 'victuals').

Common phrases

See also Norfuk.

External links

• Pitcairnese Language

References

South Pacific phrasebook (1999). Hawthorn, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications.

• Some Phrases in Norfolk/Pitcairn Language