New Caledonian French

New Caledonian French (French: français néo-calédonien, [fʁɑ̃sɛ neɔkaledɔnjɛ̃]), also known as Caledonian French (French: français calédonien, [fʁɑ̃sɛ kaledɔnjɛ̃]), is a dialect of French spoken in New Caledonia. It is the mother tongue of Caldoches, while it is usually a second language for Kanaks and immigrant groups in New Caledonia. It contains heavy influences from Metropolitan French (often using colonial, military, prison or vulgar terminology), Kanak languages, Tayo Creole, Australian English, Tahitian, Wallisian, Bislama, Javanese and Vietnamese.

While French is not a first language for a large number of New Caledonians, it is the official language of the territory and is almost universally understood as a lingua franca. In the 2009 census, the last census in which knowledge of French was a question, 97.5% of New Caledonians aged 15 and older stated that they could speak, read and write French, while just 1.1% reported having no knowledge of French.