Grasping dialect loss is informative for language loss, but dialect attrition stays relatively underexplored. Suru Kavian is an endangered dialect of Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. This study examines the relationship between linguistic ideologies about Suru Kavian (what members of the community say about the dialect), people’s actual language practices (what they ‘do’ – how the dialect is used), and the potential effect of the interplay of these factors on the vitality of this endangered variety.