Creole and Pidgin Languages
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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>.