Drehu language

Drehu ([ɖehu]; 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 means that pupils can take it as an optional topic for the baccalauréat in New Caledonia itself or on the French mainland. It has been also taught at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO) in Paris since 1973 and at the University of New Caledonia since 2000. Like other Kanak languages, Drehu is regulated by the Académie des langues kanak, founded in 2007.

Drehu
RegionLifou, New Caledonia
Native speakers
unknown; est. 13,000 includes many L2 speakers (2009)
Austronesian
  • Malayo-Polynesian
    • Oceanic
      • Southern Oceanic
        • New Caledonian – Loyalties
          • Loyalty Islands
            • Drehu
Language codes
ISO 639-3dhv
Glottologdehu1237
Drehu is not endangered according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

A separate register of Drehu, known as qene miny, was once used to speak to chiefs (joxu). Very few Drehu speakers know qene miny today.

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