Torres Strait Creole

A language of Australia

ISO 639: tcs
Alternate Names: Ailan Tok, Ap-Ne-Ap, Big Thap, Blaik, Blaiman, Broken, Cape York Creole, Creole, Pizin, Tores Streit Yumplatok, Torres Strait Broken, Torres Strait Pidgin English, West Torres
Autonym: Yumplatok
Population: 6,170 (2016 census).
Location:: Queensland state: Torres Strait Islands, towns on upper Cape York, some on north Queensland east coast.
Language Status: 3 (Wider communication). Adopted as a de facto Torres Strait language between 1890 and 1940. Lingua franca of Torres Strait. Used as trade language, church language, and in other domains.
Classification: Creole, English based, Pacific
Dialects: None known. Lexical similarity: 80% with English.
Language Use: Used as L2 by Kala Lagaw Ya [mwp], Koko-Bera [kkp], Kunjen [kjn], Kuuku-Ya’u [kuy], Meriam Mir [ulk], Umpila [ump].
Language Development: NT: 2014.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Torres Strait Creole
Writing: Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments: A creolization of Tok Pisin [tpi] or Bislama [bis] and Kala Lagaw [mwp].

Location: Queensland state: Torres Strait Islands, towns on upper Cape York, some on north Queensland east coast.