Penrhyn is a Cook Islands Maori dialect belonging to the Polynesian language family. It is spoken by about 200 people on Penrhyn Island and other islands in the Northern Cook Islands. It is considered to be an endangered language as many of its users are shifting to Cook Islands Māori and English.
Phonology
Consonants + Consonants in Penrhyn Labial Alveolar Velar Glottal Nasal Stop Fricative () Liquid
Tongareva is one of the few Cook Islands languages without a glottal stop . There is allophonic voicing of stops present.
Vowels + Vowel inventory Front Central Back High Mid Low
Long vowels are written with a macron.
Alphabet The alphabet used in the Penrhyn Dictionary has 21 letters:
Grammar
References
Further reading