The thirty New Caledonian languages also known as Kanak languages form a branch of the

Southern Oceanic languages The Southern Oceanic languages are a linkage (rather than family) of Oceanic languages spoken in Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It was proposed by John Lynch in 1995 and supported by later studies. It appears to be a linkage rather than a language ...

. Their speakers are known as Kanaks. One language is extinct, one is critically endangered, four are severely endangered, five are endangered, and another five are vulnerable to extinction.

Typology

The Cèmuhî, Paicî, Drubea, Numèè, and Kwenyii languages are tonal.Rivierre, Jean-Claude. 1993
Tonogenesis in New Caledonia
In Edmondson and Gregerson: ''Tonality in Austronesian languages'', 155–173.

Oceanic Linguistics ''Oceanic Linguistics'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on the indigenous languages of the Oceanic area and parts of Southeast Asia, including the indigenous Australian languages, the Papuan languages of New Guinea, ...

Special Publication 24. Other than phonemically contrastive tone, typological features in New Caledonian languages that are typically unusual for Oceanic languages include

nasalized vowel A nasal vowel is a vowel that is produced with a lowering of the soft palate (or velum) so that the air flow escapes through the nose and the mouth simultaneously, as in the French vowel /ɑ̃/ () or Amoy []. By contrast, oral vowels are pr ...

s, very large vowel inventories, retroflex consonants, and voiceless nasals.

Languages

*Loyalty Islands **

Drehu Drehu (; also known as Dehu, Lifou, Lifu, qene drehu) is an Austronesian language mostly spoken on Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. It has about 12,000 fluent speakers and the status of a French regional language. This status mean ...

(

Lifou Island Lifou Island, historically spelt Lifu or Lefu in English, and known as Drehu in the local language, is the largest, most populous and most important island of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an French overseas territor ...

) ** Iaai (

Ouvéa Island Ouvéa Island or Uvea Island is one of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the communes of France, commune (municipality) of Ouvéa, in the Loyalty ...

) ** Nengone (

Maré Island Maré Island or Nengone () is the second-largest of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of Maré, in the Loyalty Isl ...

) *Mainland New Caledonian **Southern New Caledonian ***Extreme Southern **** Ndrumbea (vulnerable) **** Numèè ***Mid-Southern ****Xârâcùù–Xârâgurè: ***** Xârâcùù ***** Xârâgurè (endangered) ****Zire–Tîrî: ***** Tîrî (endangered) ***** Zire † ****Wailic ***** Ajië ***** Arhâ (severely endangered) ***** Arhö (critically endangered) ***** Neku (severely endangered) ***** Orowe (endangered) **Northern New Caledonian ***'' Haeke''* *** Haveke* ***'' Vamale''* ***Central Northern **** Cèmuhî **** Paicî ***North Northern **** Pwaamei (endangered) **** Pwapwa (severely endangered) ***** Bwatoo ***** Hmwaveke ***** Waamwang ***** Fwâi ***** Jawe (vulnerable) *****

Nemi Nemi is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome (central Italy), in the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Nemi, a volcanic crater lake. It is northwest of Velletri and about southeast of Rome. The town's name derives from the Lati ...

(vulnerable) ***** Pije (severely endangered) ***Extreme Northern **** Caac (vulnerable) ****

Kumak Komoq () is a village in Sanjabad-e Jonubi Rural District of Firuz District in Kowsar County, Ardabil province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It bord ...

(vulnerable) **** Nyâlayu **** Yuanga The languages of the northern Voh– Koné area (*) are often discussed as a unit.

List of New Caledonian languages

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Caledonian Languages Southern Oceanic languages