Linking language and the environment: the case of Norf’k and Norfolk Island Joshua Nash ⇑ , Peter Mühlhäusler University of Adelaide, Australia article info Article history: Available online xxxx Keywords: Pitkern–Norf’k Ecologically embedded languages Fish names People names Placenames Ecolinguistic theory abstract This paper investigates a range of structural and lexical aspects of the Pitkern–Norf’k language, which characterize it typologically as an ‘ecologically embedded’ contact language. Lexical items spanning various lexical fields are employed to illustrate key crite- ria in the relationship between place-knowledge and linguistic knowledge. It is claimed that ecolinguistics needs to supplement philosophical reflection and language critique with a staunchly empirical approach. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. The group of people, who inhabited Pitcairn Island until 1856, were governed by a single set of values. Their collective soul was developed to such an extent that it pervaded and guided the entire life of both the community and its members. The community had an intimate relationship with its physical environment. The settlers were solidly interconnected with their environment and regarded it as an important part of their being. (Rogner, 1940: 53 translated from German original) 1. Introduction This paper is concerned with the language spoken by the mutineers of The Bounty and their descendants on Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands (see Fig. 1 location map). This language variably known as Pitcairnese, Pitkern/Norf’k, Pitcairn English and by other names is featured prominently in the discourse of language mixing and particularly creolistics and has been called a laboratory case by some: Pitcairn English with its offshoot on Norfolk Island is of extraordinary interest because it offers as near a laboratory case of Creole formation as we are ever likely to have. (Reinecke et al., 1975: 590) We shall refer to the two varieties spoken on Pitcairn and Norfolk Island by their official names Pitkern and Norf’k, respectively. 0388-0001/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2013.08.004 ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: joshua.nash@adelaide.edu.au (J. Nash). Language Sciences xxx (2013) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Language Sciences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/langsci Please cite this article in press as: Nash, J., Mühlhäusler, P. Linking language and the environment: the case of Norf’k and Norfolk Island. Lang. Sci. (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2013.08.004