pkp ISO 639

Te Leo Wale Autonyms

Pukapuka

  • Geography

    CK Nassau, Pukapuka, and Rarotonga.
  • Language Cloud

A language of Cook Islands

pkp
Bukabukan, Pukapukan
Te Leo Wale
700 in Cook Islands (2011 census), decreasing. 451 Pukapuka, 73 Nassau Island (Census), plus approximately 200 L1 speakers on Rarotonga (Pue village), less a few non-Pukapukan spouses most of whom speak Pukapuka as L2 (2015 M. Salisbury). Ethnic population: 700 (2011 census). Total users in all countries: 3,100.
Nassau, Pukapuka, and Rarotonga.
Cook Islands
6b* (Threatened). Recognized language (2003, Te Reo Maori Act, Articles 2(b) and 4), Te Reo Maori is deemed to include Pukapukan as spoken or written in Pukapuka.
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, Samoic-Outlier, Pukapuka
None known. Not intelligible with Rarotongan [rar] or other Cook Islands languages. Related to Samoan [smo].
VSO, VOS.
While it is spoken by almost everyone on the island including children and non-native spouses, it has few written resources and is in a diglossic relationship with Cook Islands Maori, the national language. Positive attitudes. All also use Cook Islands Maori [rar], in church and village meetings, in diglossic situations, and is taught in school. Most also use English [eng], only when communicating with outsiders and in written communication (emails, documents) in some government work situations.
Latin script [Latn].
Hurricane in 2007, ongoing migration to New Zealand and Australia. Christian.
OLAC resources in and about Pukapuka
Pukapuka
1,500 in New Zealand (2016 M. Salisbury). Ethnic population: 3,000 (2016 M. Salisbury).
Primarily in Auckland, smaller communities in Hastings, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Porirua, Shannon.
Unestablished
Attempts are being made to preserve and revitalise the language: preschool language nests, after school activities, as well as private tertiary courses teaching the language and culture. Some young people, all adults, few children and adolescents.
Non-indigenous. Christian.
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