Kaikiwan

Kaikiwan
káikwi/túlelù káikwi
Pronunciation	[kʌ́i.kʷi] [ʔɤ́ʎɨ̯ʎù kʌ́i.kʷi]
Created by	Jukethatbox
Date	2023-2024
Native to	Kaikiwi Island
Native speakers	5-10 (2023) L2: 6,000-10,000
Language family	Kaikiwi–Tol-Sun Kaikiwic Kaikiwan
Standard form	OPKLC Standard Kaikiwan
Dialects	Eastern dialect(Mwípék) Northern dialect(Tùwanòpék) Diasporic dialects Hawaiian dialects Oahu vernacular Kailua Kona vernacular Moloka'i dialect NZ/Kiwi dialects Māori-Kaikiwan Pidgin Te Kaha vernacular Whitianga dialect
Official status
Recognised minority language in	New Zealand Hawai'i
Regulated by	OPKLC (Organisation for the Preservation of Kaikiwan Language and Culture)

Kaikiwan is a Kaikiwi–Tol-Sun language spoken natively on the island of Kaikiwi. It is a critically endangered language with a native speaker population of around 10 at the highest estimates. Very few native Kaikiwans still inhabit Kaikiwi Island; instead, the vast majority of said native speakers live in New Zealand or Hawai'i; the youngest of these native speakers, 78-year-old Mániwamaé, was born and raised in Oahu.

Although there are not many remaining native speakers of the language, the L2(second-language) community is thriving. Thousands of non-native Kaikiwan speakers live in New Zealand, Hawai'i and Japan, with even the most conservative estimates putting the number of L2 speakers at around 6,000, with the most optimistic estimates putting it as high as 10,000.