A-Pucikwar language
Encyclopedia
The Pucikwar language, A-Pucikwar, is an extinct language
of the Andaman Islands
, India
, formerly spoken by the A-Pucikwar people on the south coast of Middle Andaman, the northeast coast of South Andaman, and on Baratang Island.
As the colonisation and settlement process of the Andaman Islands intensified from the late 19th century and into the 20th century, the indigenous
Great Andamanese
groups were greatly reduced in number and became alienated from their traditional territories. The few surviving Great Andamanese soon lost the cultural and linguistic distinctions among them that were present at the onset of the 19th century, when at least ten distinct tribal and linguistic groups were recorded. As a language and as a distinct identity, A-Puckiwar and the other groups died out in the 20th century. The few remaining families of Great Andamanese descent—coalesced from several of the former communities and with some admixture of Karen (Burmese)
and Indian
settlers—were resettled on Strait Island
. Approximately half of these speak today a creolised
language based mainly on Aka-Jeru
with some A-Pucikwar, Hindi
and Burmese elements. The remainder speak only Hindi.
Extinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
of the Andaman Islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, formerly spoken by the A-Pucikwar people on the south coast of Middle Andaman, the northeast coast of South Andaman, and on Baratang Island.
As the colonisation and settlement process of the Andaman Islands intensified from the late 19th century and into the 20th century, the indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Great Andamanese
Great Andamanese
Great Andamanese is a collective term used to refer to related indigenous peoples who lived throughout most of the Great Andaman archipelago, the main and closely situated group of islands in the Andaman Islands. Numbering between 200 and 700, each of the Great Andamanese peoples maintained a...
groups were greatly reduced in number and became alienated from their traditional territories. The few surviving Great Andamanese soon lost the cultural and linguistic distinctions among them that were present at the onset of the 19th century, when at least ten distinct tribal and linguistic groups were recorded. As a language and as a distinct identity, A-Puckiwar and the other groups died out in the 20th century. The few remaining families of Great Andamanese descent—coalesced from several of the former communities and with some admixture of Karen (Burmese)
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
and Indian
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
settlers—were resettled on Strait Island
Strait Island
Strait Island is a tribal reservation in a Union territory of India.-Description:Strait Island is a small island of 6.01 km² located 5.5 km east of Baratang Island, Great Andaman, in the Diligent Strait that separates Great Andaman from Ritchie's Archipelago. The population as of the 2001...
. Approximately half of these speak today a creolised
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
language based mainly on Aka-Jeru
Aka-Jeru language
The Jeru language, Aka-Jeru , is a Great Andamanese language, of the Northern group. Whether Jeru is extinct is disputed. The Andaman website reports 7 speakers; at issue is whether the surviving Great Andamanese language is Jeru, Pucikwar, or a creole based on several languages, of which Jeru is a...
with some A-Pucikwar, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Burmese elements. The remainder speak only Hindi.