| Languages of New Caledonia | |
|---|---|
 Indigenous languages of New Caledonia | |
| Official | French |
| Indigenous | Kanak languages |
| Vernacular | New Caledonian French,Bislama,Tayo Creole |
| Minority | Several immigrant languages |
| Foreign | English,Japanese |
| Keyboard layout | |
InNew Caledonia, asui generis collectivity ofFrance,French is the official and predominant language. The collectivity is also home to about thirtyNew Caledonian languages, which form a branch of theSouthern Oceanic languages. They are spoken mainly by the indigenousKanaks of the islands. Due to the large tourism industry, English is also commonly understood, especially among young people and in tourist areas.[1]
At the outset of colonisation, Kanaks primarily spoke their native languages, and, in case of need, usedBislama, an Anglo-Melanesian language whose lexical basis is essentiallyEnglish. This language allowed them to communicate with shopkeepers or with otherMelanesian populations. Those native languages were favoured by some Protestant missionaries to evangelise the population, though Catholic missionaries preferred the usage ofFrench.
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.[2]
New Caledonia's population is constituted of numerous ethnic groups, but most residents are ofKanak,European or mixed origin. Nowadays, there are about 30Melanesian 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 toNew Caledonia during the nickel rush. The native languages ofNew Caledonia are part of theAustronesian family. This family extends from the island ofMadagascar,Taiwan,Southeast Asia and covers almost all of thePacific.
| New Caledonian Pidgin French | |
|---|---|
Native speakers | None |
French-basedpidgin | |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | newc1245 |
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 fromAustralian English.[2]
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.[3] 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 aFrench pidgin used in New Caledonia as a contact language, especially along the east coast, alongsideBislama, and today there is a local French creole known asTayo that may descend from it.
The forty native languages of New Caledonia form two branches of theSouthern Oceanic languages, part of theAustronesian family; West Uvean isPolynesian. Their speakers are known asKanaks. The most important are:Drehu,Nengone,Paicî,Ajië, andXârâcùù. People living aroundNouméa prior to French settlement spokeNdrumbea.[4] 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 ofFrench.
At the 2019 census, 44.0% of people whose age was 15 or older reported that they had some form of knowledge of at least one Kanak language, whereas 56.0% reported that they had no knowledge of any of the Kanak languages.[5][3]
The most commonly taught foreign languages areEnglish andJapanese.[6]
Tourism constitutes an important part of the collectivity's economy, with visitors principally fromAustralia andNew Zealand (who also are major trading partners of the country).English accordingly is understood by many New Caledonians (with most residents having a basic knowledge of English),[7][8] especially inNouméa and tourist destinations.[9][10][11]
A 2015 study by theUniversity of Technology Sydney (UTS) found that 90% of New Caledonians had studied at least some English at school, due to it being a compulsory school subject.[12]
New Caledonia being a part ofFrench Republic, its official language isFrench, following the constitutional law 92-554 (June 1992). This law is applicable to every field (justice, tribunals, administration, schools...). At the level of legislation and justice, on some occasions individuals may have recourse to aMelanesian language (in spoken conversation, for example).A series of decrees and clauses allow the usage of Melanesian languages in education in some cases. Notably, the "Loi d’orientation d’Outre-Mer" (law 2000-1207, December 2000) stipulates that respect must be shown to indigenous languages, owing to their importance to New Caledonian culture.[2][13]
Secondary school is under State authority (as opposed to nursery and primary school, which are under Provincial authority), therefore, the language in application isFrench. Some schools give optional native languages lessons, but it is still very rare. Nevertheless, four languages are proposed at the baccalaureate:Ajië, Drehu, Nengone and Paicî. English is a compulsory subject, with a 2015 study by theUniversity of Technology Sydney (UTS) having reported that 90% of respondents had learnt at least some English in school, and that it was more common and more valued among younger generations.[12]
There has been controversy about the educational system, as it has been argued that its programs are not adapted to the needs of the local population. As aFrench overseas collectivityNew Caledonia is almost exclusively under the administrative control ofFrance at the educative level and the textbooks are tailored to European students. Moreover,French is only a second language for significant minority of New Caledonians. This situation has been described as a major cause for the high rate ofilliteracy and academic failure by New Caledonian students, whose success rate at thebaccalaureate is very low.[14] Some have advocated to increase the importance of native languages as a teaching medium in school, while reducing the status ofFrench to that of a second language.[15] Critics have claimed that this proposal denies reality as French is the predominant native language among New Caledonian students.