1. About Paicî
Paicî is a Kanak language of the Austronesian family, spoken by around 7,000 people in a band across the centre of Grande Terre, New Caledonia — in the communes of Poindimié, Ponérihouen, Koné and Poya. It is the most widely spoken of the mainland's languages, a French regional language taught from primary school to the University of New Caledonia, and is regulated by the Académie des Langues Kanak (ALK).12
Paicî is remarkable for two features rare in the Pacific: it is a tone language (most Austronesian languages are not), and it has an unusually large number of nasal vowels. This is a community-stewarded Indigenous language; the introduction below is small and carefully sourced, focuses on the well-documented sound system and counting, leaves greetings and fuller grammar for community sourcing, and should be reviewed by Paicî speakers / the ALK before publication.
Key features to know from day one
- Paicî has tone. Three pitch registers — high, mid and low — can distinguish words; tone often belongs to the whole word rather than a single syllable.2
- Lots of nasal vowels. Alongside ten ordinary (oral) vowels, Paicî has seven nasal vowels (pronounced through the nose) — an unusually rich set.1
- Simple syllables. Syllables are just an optional consonant plus a vowel ((C)V), so words are built from clear, open beats.1
- The verb comes first. Paicî's basic word order is verb–object–subject (VOS).2
- Counting uses the body. The low numbers are words of their own, but larger counts are built from î ('hand'), â ('foot') and âboro ('man'/whole body).3
2. The sound system
Paicî's vowels are the heart of its sound system, and its three tones sit on top of them. The spelling uses circumflex and other marks for vowel qualities; because tone is not always written, listening is essential.12
| Feature | Detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Tone (high) | the top pitch register | can change a word's meaning |
| Tone (mid) | the middle register | the 'neutral' level |
| Tone (low) | the bottom register | contrasts with high/mid |
| Oral vowels | ten, long and short | the ordinary vowels |
| Nasal vowels | seven, through the nose | unusually many — a Paicî hallmark |
| Syllable shape | (C)V only | open, evenly-timed beats |
A note on spelling: vowels with marks (ê, ë, î, â, é, û…) are distinct vowel qualities. In this guide's exercises, plain ASCII spellings (e, a, i, o, u) are also accepted while you learn.
3. Counting in Paicî
The best-attested beginner material in Paicî is its number system. The first four numbers are their own words; from five up, counting is built on the body — the hands (î), the feet (â), and âboro ('man', a complete count).3
| Value | Paicî | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | caapwi | |
| 2 | êrêilû | |
| 3 | êrêcié | |
| 4 | êrêpëpé | |
| hand | î | basis of counting from five |
| foot | â | basis of higher counts |
| man / whole body | âboro | a complete count (twenty) |
Practice: Paicî numbers & counting words
Practice: The best-attested Paicî words: numbers 1–4 and the body-part words used to build higher numbers, plus the language's name and two key facts. Spelling uses marked vowels; plain ASCII spellings are also accepted.. Type the missing word — accents are optional.
- 1.the number 'one':
Hint: the first counting number
- 2.the number 'two':
Hint: the number after caapwi (begins with êrê-)
- 3.the number 'three':
Hint: the number after êrêilû (begins with êrê-)
- 4.the number 'four':
Hint: the number after êrêcié (begins with êrê-)
- 5.the word for 'hand' (basis of counting from five):
Hint: the body part used to reach five
- 6.the word for 'foot' (basis of higher counts):
Hint: the body part used past ten
- 7.the word for 'man / whole body' (a complete count of twenty):
Hint: a full count of all fingers and toes
- 8.the language's own name:
Hint: the name of this language
- 9.Paicî is unusual in the Pacific because it has contrastive (pitch that changes meaning): ___
Hint: the feature it shares with Mandarin or Vietnamese, rare in Oceania
- 10.Paicî's basic word order, abbreviated (Verb-Object-Subject):
Hint: the three-letter abbreviation with the verb first
10 questions
Grammar reference: Numerals and body-based counting per 'How to count in Paicî' (Languages and Numbers) and the LDD Paicî Language Snapshot; language facts per Gordon & Maddieson (1996) and Rivierre (1974). All prompts original to LinguaCommons. CEFR A1. Confidence: Medium for numeral spellings; High for the facts. Requires ALK / community review.. Sentences are original to LinguaCommons.
4. Understanding the tone & vowel system
Because reliable everyday vocabulary beyond counting needs community sourcing, this section consolidates the well-documented facts about Paicî's sound system — the knowledge a learner needs before tackling real speech with a teacher.12
Knowledge check: Paicî tone & vowels
Practice: Check your understanding of Paicî's well-documented sound system (answers in English/numbers). These facts come from the cited phonetic and linguistic studies.. Type the missing word — accents are optional.
- 1.How many tone registers does Paicî have? (a number word):
Hint: count them: high, mid and low
- 2.The top tone register is called:
Hint: the opposite of the lowest register
- 3.The bottom tone register is called:
Hint: the opposite of the top register
- 4.The register between the top and bottom is called:
Hint: the one in the middle
- 5.Paicî has an unusually large number of vowels (pronounced through the nose): ___
Hint: made by letting air through the nose
- 6.How many ORAL (ordinary) vowels are in Paicî's symmetrical system? (a number word):
Hint: the count of ordinary vowels
- 7.How many NASAL vowels does Paicî have? (a number word):
Hint: the count of nasal vowels
- 8.Paicî syllables are limited to an optional consonant plus a : ___
Hint: the (C)V pattern ends in this
- 9.The French linguist who wrote the 1983 Paicî dictionary and studied its tone:
Hint: surname of the linguist cited throughout this guide
- 10.The central commune at the heart of the Paicî-speaking area:
Hint: the main town on the east-coast Paicî band
10 questions
Grammar reference: Per Gordon & Maddieson, 'The Phonetics of Paicî' (UCLA WPP 93, 1996); Rivierre (1974, 1983); and 'Paicî language'. All prompts original to LinguaCommons. CEFR A2. Confidence: High.. Sentences are original to LinguaCommons.
5. Beyond the basics
🚧 In development (source-limited). Verb–object–subject clause structure, the pronoun system, and how tone interacts with grammar will be added from Rivierre (1983) and ALK materials, with community review. Everyday greetings and phrases are deliberately deferred to that review rather than guessed. Not yet complete.
🚧 In development (source-limited). Core vocabulary from Rivierre's Dictionnaire paicî–français (1983) and the body-based higher numerals will be added after community review.
🚧 In development (source-limited). Tone in connected speech and dialect variation across Poindimié, Ponérihouen, Koné and Poya, with community guidance. Not yet complete.
🚧 In development (source-limited). Oratory, custom (la coutume) and cultural concepts — to be developed only with community-authored sources. Not yet complete.
🚧 In development (source-limited). Mastering tone perception and a media plan (ALK resources, LACITO/CNRS recordings, NC La 1ère). Not yet complete.
- Académie des Langues Kanak — Paicî — the community language authority (lead source for review)
- Paicî language — overview — phonology, tone, word order
- How to count in Paicî (Languages and Numbers) — the body-based numeral system
Notes & Bibliography
- On Paicî phonology — a comparatively simple consonant inventory (with prenasalized stops and palatal stops/affricates), a symmetrical system of ten oral vowels and an unusually large set of seven nasal vowels, and strict (C)V syllables — cf. Gordon, Matthew & Maddieson, Ian, 'The Phonetics of Paicî' (UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics 93, 1996); and 'Paicî language.' [source] ↩
- On Paicî's contrastive tone — three registers (high, mid, low), unusual for Oceanic languages, with tone often belonging to the word — and its verb–object–subject word order, cf. Rivierre, Jean-Claude, 'Tons et segments du discours en langue paicî' (Bulletin de la Société de Linguistique de Paris 69, 1974); and Rivierre, Dictionnaire paicî–français (Paris: SELAF, 1983). [source] ↩
- On the Paicî numerals — caapwi (1), êrêilû (2), êrêcié (3), êrêpëpé (4) — and the body-based counting system (using î 'hand', â 'foot', and âboro 'man' for larger counts), cf. 'How to count in Paicî' (Languages and Numbers) and the LDD Paicî Language Snapshot. Regulated by the Académie des Langues Kanak (ALK). [source] ↩