Languages of the Torres Strait
In addition to English , the languages of the Torres Strait , a strait between Australia and New Guinea , include four other idioms .
Most widespread Torres Strait Creole , a form of pidgin English , which is the lingua franca of the indigenous population of Torres Strait .
The language of the eastern group of the Torres Strait Islands around Murray Island is Meriam . This belongs to the family of the Eastern Trans-Fly languages which has its origin in the Western Province of New Guinea.
Kala Kaiwau Ya is spoken in the Upper Western Islands just a few miles off the coast of New Guinea, while Kalaw Lugaw Ya is the vernacular of the Lower Western Islands. The latter two belong to Pama-Nyungan , a language family of the Australian Aborigines .
English itself tends to have the status of an educational language and is not used by the native residents even when communicating with one another.