PIDGIN AND CREOLE

A pidgin is a language having no native speaker. A pidgin develops as a means of communication between people who do not have a common language. A pidgin exists when 2 groups with different languages communicating in a situation where there is also a dominant language.

WHERE DOES A PIDGIN HAPPEN

A

pidgin happens in plantation Plantation : slaves A slaves B --------- Bosss lang. ---slaveslanguage : Substrate Bossslanguage : Superstrate Colonialized countries Traders between traders who used a colonial language, such as Portuguese, or Spanish, or English and the Indians that they were trading with

THE WORD PIDGIN

Hebrew pidjom means hate or exchange. Chinese pei + tin --- paying money It is used for specific purpose : trade Pidgin languages are created from the combined efforts of people who speak different languages. In Pidgin: Superstrate provides more vocab., while the substrate contributes the grammar of the developing pidgin.

Pidgin leads to misunderstanding

A Papua New Guinean stumbled against a white woman coming out of the theatre. When questioned what had happened, the Papua New Guinean replied :Mi putim han long baksait bilong misis.( I touched the womans back with my hand). The answer cost him half a tooth, his job, and 3 months in prison. This is due to the confusion between baksait meaning back and English backside.

THE CHARACTERISTIC OF A PIDGIN LANGUAGE

1. It is used in restricted domains and functions. 2. It has a simplified structure compared to the source languages. 3. It has generally low prestige and attracts negative attitudes, especially from outsiders.

CREOLE
A Creole is a pidgin that has become the first language of a new generation of speakers. ( it has acquired native speakers) --- ex. Tok Pisin. Atchison (1994) creoles arise when pidgins become mother tongues. Pidginization : simplification of a language : reduction in morphology (word structure), syntax, pronunciation, extensive borrowing of words from local mother tongue. CREOLIZATION: expansion of morphology and syntax: -regulation of the phonology - increase functions - increase vocab. Ex. Hawaian Pidgin English, Hawaian Creole English.

Example of Australian Rope River Creole

(1) im megim ginu he makes a canue (2) im bin megim ginu he made a canue (3) im megimbad ginu he is making a canue (4) im bin megimbad ginu he was making a canue

Tok Pisin at different stages

(a)

baimbai yu go you will go (b) bambai yu go you will go (c) bai yu go you will go (d) yu bai go you will go (e) yu bgo you will go

Tok Pisin vs English

TP bik Eng TP big
bikim
daunim

Eng
To enlarge To lower To spoil, to damag e

daun low
nogut

bad

nogut im

Tok Pisin vs English

TP English gras grass mausgrass moustache gras belong fes beard gras belong hed . gras antap long ai eyebrow gras nogut weed