Why is pidgin important

By way of comparison, there are around creole languages. Why are there so many more creoles than there are pidgin languages?

Pidgins exist to meet a communication need. Over time, however, their status shifts. Some evolve into creoles, but others die out. This can happen when the communities that speak them disperse or when the language of one of those communities becomes the dominant language of both. While still in use today, it is gradually being replaced by Hindi.

Referred to by its speakers as Kolokwa and Liberian Kreyol, as well as Liberian Pidgin English, this English-based pidgin is spoken extensively in Liberia as a second language. Estimates put the number of speakers at anywhere between 1. Derived from the now-extinct Chinese Pidgin English and Melanesian-type pidgins, Nauruan Pidgin English continues to be spoken in the tiny island country of Nauru, in the Central Pacific. Used in the Jega region of northwestern Nigeria, this Hausa-based pidgin enjoys widespread use, though it is not spoken natively by anyone.

It is classed as an endangered language. With just estimated second language speakers, the future looks bleak for Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin. A simplified version of Motu, it is an interesting language to study, as it sits somewhere between a pidgin and a creole. Even Onin, the language on which it is based, only has around native speakers left. Another pidgin arising from colonisation, Settla is a Swahili pidgin that developed to facilitate communication between native Swahili speakers in Kenya and Zambia and English-speaking settlers hence it also being known as Settler Swahili.

South African and Zimbabwe are home to several hundred thousand Fanakalo speakers. Also known as Pidgin Zulu, the language developed during the colonial era to enable English settlers to communicate with their servants, as well as to facilitate communication between English and Dutch colonists. There are many, many examples of extinct pidgin languages. Pidgins exist to fill a communication gap. Pidgin Delaware arose from interactions between Munsee and Unami Delawares and Dutch, Swedish and English speakers, to facilitate the trading of furs in the 17th century.

It declined in use significantly in the s. Also called the Mediterranean Lingua Franca, it was based mainly on northern Italian languages, though with multiple other influences. Pidgin Russian was spoken in Manchuria, where it enabled Russian settlers to communicate with local Chinese speakers. Also referred to as Chinglish, Chinese Pidgin English was used for nearly three centuries as a means of communication between English and Chinese traders and bureaucrats in Canton.

Eventually, standard English was adopted as the preferred means of communication instead. It was spoken by Namibians who did not learn German while their country was under German rule.

Today, German, Afrikaans and English have replaced its used. The language spread across west and north Australia but later died out in most areas. Samoan Plantation Pidgin is a now-extinct pidgin language that was spoken in Samoa, by plantation workers. The English-based pidgin featured many similarities to Tok Pisin. Spoken in the Russian port of Solombala in the 18th and 19th centuries, little is known today about this English and Russian-derived pidgin.

Europeans and Native Americans used it to facilitate contact with each other. Now extinct, Russenorsk was used in the Artic to enable Russian and Norwegian fishermen and traders to communicate.

It was used extensively for around years in Northern Norway but fell out of use in the 19th century. There is so much that we can learn from pidgin languages. The evolution of their simplified grammar systems and restricted vocabulary is fascinating to study. I particularly enjoy how focused they are on their purpose. Russenorsk, for example, had plenty of words relating to the weather, the ocean and fish, but a conversation about art or dancing would have been near-on impossible.

What we can learn from all pidgin languages is how powerful the need to communicate is among humans. Chinese Pidgin English Chinglish , developed in the 17th century in Canton Guandong , China,and survived for almost three centuries. Its use spread from master-servant relationships to those between English and Chinese traders and bureaucrats. It continued in use until about the end of the 19th century, when the Chinese started to switch to standard English.

Ethnologue lists 18 pidgins used around the world. Four of them are extinct and many are in the process of disappearing. There are no estimates of number of speakers for many of them. If a pidgin survives, and the next generation of speakers learns it as their first language or if it becomes a stable lingua franca , it becomes a creole.

Grammar Pidgins usually have smaller vocabularies, a simpler structure, and more limited functions than natural languages. Some typical features include of pidgin languages are as follows:. Vocabulary Since vocabulary is restricted, words in a pidgin language have a wide range of meanings. Pidgin languages are used exclusively for oral communication. Only after they develop into creoles, does the need for a writing system arise.

How difficult is it to learn Pidgin languages? There is no data on the difficulty of Pidgin languages for speakers of English. Toggle navigation.

Chinook Wawa. Liberian English. Chinese Pidgin English. Language Difficulty. Languages A-Z. Select Language. Tibetic Languages. Tok Pisin. Arabic Egyptian Spoken. Arabic Levantine. Arabic Modern Standard. Arabic Moroccan Spoken. Arabic Overview. Bashkort Bashkir. Haitian Creole. Hawaiian Creole. Indonesian Bahasa Indonesia. Irish Gaelic. Malay Bahasa Melayu. Mandarin Chinese. Afro Asiatic Language Family. English-based pidgins that became stable contact languages, and which have some documentation, include the following: Aboriginal Pidgin English.

It can be the answer to a call. It can be used in agreement. It can also be used to reiterate a point. Nigeria is safe: You know, as safe as most other countries in the world. Foreigners can walk the streets without fear of abduction and with the basic travel alertness and safety precautions, you can let down your guard and explore the wonders of the country.

Nigeria is as safe as any other country worth its salt. Igbo is one of the major languages spoken in Nigeria. Have a wonderful morning and a great week ahead. However, when used in everyday vernacular, it means to be knowledgeable about something or street smart. The Urhobo word for goodbye is matode. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

Press ESC to cancel.