Transcript Creole and Pidgin Languages

Alyssa Burns
A
pidgin language is no one’s native
language, but is a mix of multiple languages
(Schiffman).
 A creole language is created when the pidgin
language becomes the native language of a
certain area.
 Not all pidgins become creoles because there
is a chance that the language will die out
before it can become the native language.
Lexicon- the vocabulary of a language or of an individual
 This
was formed in order for the immigrants
to communicate with the Hawaiians. There is
still some pidgin used a little today. For
example:
- akamai – smart, intelligent (which is also a
Hawaiian word)
- brah – brother
- ono – means delicious in Hawaiian, but can
mean many other things in pidgin
 While
some may refer to this as a creole
language, it is not considered one because
the majority think it’s not their first
language, even if many children do learn it
early.
- “You are coming, right?” - Şe you dey come?
or You de come abi?
- “Man! That test was hard.” – Nna, that test
hard no be small.
Referred to Guinea Coast Creole English as well
and was used along the West African coast during
the period of the Atlantic slave trade.
 This was used so that British slave merchants and
local African traders could communicate their
exchanges.
 The majority of the vocabulary came from
English; while most of the sounds, grammer, and
syntax came from West African Niger-Congo
languages.
- flog – beat, punish
- dek - floor

 This
is an “English-lexified creole language”
that originated with West African influence.
 The language came about when slaves from
West and Central Africa learned the English
that their owners spoke, and thus the
Jamaican Patois was born.
 Although, in the Patois there are no past
tense forms like –ed or –t, but preverbial
particles en and a.
- /mi ɹon/ - I ran
- /mi a ɹon/ or /mi de ɹon/ - I am running
 This
language contains aspects of French,
Native American, Spanish, and West African
languages.
 Definite articles vary between the le, la, and
les which occur in French, as well as a and la
for the singular and yé for the plural.
- Hello - Bonjou – Bonjour
- How are things? - Konmen lé-z'affè? Comment vont les affaires?
 Haitian
Creole and French are considered the
official languages of Haiti.
 This is based on 18th to 21st century French,
some African languages, Arabic, Spanish,
Taíno, and English.
- The books-Liv yo – Les livres
- The cars – Machin yo – Les machines
- The girls put on dresses – Fi yo mete rob –
Les filles mettent les robes
Taíno – pre-columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the Lesser
Antilles.
Not many undergraduates will have a course
devoted solely to pidgins and creoles.(Sebba).
 These can be considered a way of knowing
because as Sapir believed, language and the
thoughts that we have are effected by the
confines of our language.
 The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis- language shapes our
ideas and people cannot think outside of their
language.
 These confines create many different world
views and perceptions. Creole and pidgin
languages could in part be a solution to this
problem because it brings two languages
together.




Schiffman, Harold. "Pidgin and Creole Languages." 25
Mar. 1997. Web. 06 Apr. 2011.
<http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/messeas/hand
outs/pjcreol/node1.html>.
"Eye of Hawaii - Pidgin, The Unofficial Language of
Hawaii." Eye of Hawaii - Your Complete Guide to the
Big Island, Kona to Hilo. Web. 06 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.eyeofhawaii.com/Pidgin/pidgin.htm>.
Sebba, Mark. "The Teaching of Pidgin and Creole
Studies | Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics
and Area Studies." Homepage | Subject Centre for
Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. Web. 07 Apr.
2011. <http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg/2784>.