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The Language Called “Pidgin”

Awake! correspondent in New Guinea

JUST north of Australia is the island of New Guinea, second only to Greenland as the largest island in the world. Here the common means of spoken communication is by that language called “Pidgin,” or, more correctly, “Melanesian-Pidgin.”

This is a relatively new language, being only about one hundred years old. And it has less than 2,000 words. Thus, one may be inclined to think that it just does not have a word to express the thoughts desired. Yet, by skillful employment of the available words Melanesian-Pidgin can be most definite and expressive.

How did this language develop? What useful purpose does it serve? How are thoughts expressed in this language when there is no specific word for the subject being discussed? What attitude do different ones have toward Melanesian-Pidgin?

Its Origin

Pidgin is a language that developed mainly due to trade, the word “Pidgin” being thought to be a corruption of the English word “business.” Originally a language called “Pidgin” was developed by English traders and natives along the China coast in the seventeenth century in order to transact business. Then, in time, many Pidgin dialects developed in various places, generally for the same purpose.

In 1788 English immigrants reached Australia, and soon afterward an Australian Pidgin developed to facilitate communication with the natives. Regarding its spread from there, The Encyclopædia Britannica notes:

“Since Pidgin developed on the east coast of Australia at the end of the 18th century, considerably before the Pacific islands opened up for trade, Australia must be regarded as the primary source of Pacific Pidgin. . . . The link between Australian and New Guinea Pidgin is naturally close; the New Guinea native’s vocabulary includes many words which were first introduced in Australia.”

The island of New Guinea was virtually unknown to the outside world as recently as about a hundred years ago. But then traders, missionaries and colonizers began to arrive in ever-increasing numbers. It was at this time that the Melanesian-Pidgin language had its birth. This language now includes words of English derivation and borrowings from German, Melanesian, Polynesian and Malay.

Its Value

Due to its unruly, “weed-grown” nature, attempts have long been made to suppress Pidgin. But by the latter quarter of the nineteenth century German traders found it so firmly entrenched in New Guinea that natives refused to speak German. This irked Baron von Hesse-Wartegg, who urged that this “Pidgin nonsense” be replaced “by a sensible German language.” Yet, any attempts in this direction resulted only in a number of German words being introduced into Pidgin.

Even today the use of Pidgin is forbidden in the schools of New Guinea. Powerful forces continue their efforts to suppress the language. But, despite this opposition, it cannot be denied that Melanesian-Pidgin serves in a practical way. How so? Well, consider the circumstances in this remote place.

New Guinea is an island of high mountains, plateaus and hidden valleys, parts of which have never been explored by white men. It is the home of many tribal peoples, who speak over 500 different languages! In some instances there may be no more than 5,000 persons in a single language group.

In earlier times there was very little exchange between the tribal groups on matters of trade. True, there were frequent tribal wars, but few cultural contacts between the tribes. But now times are changing. There is the need of a means of communication that can be quickly and easily learned. Melanesian-Pidgin is fulfilling that need. And as this language penetrates into the most distant and difficult reaches of New Guinea, more and more tribal people can communicate with one another. In a short time they can master this language, whereas a more complex language would be much more difficult to learn.

Skillful Use of Limited Words

The number of words in Melanesian-Pidgin are increasing, but there still are fewer than 2,000 of them. Older languages commonly have many times that number. But even with a limited number of words it is possible to be definite and expressive. One simply needs to learn how to arrange properly the limited vocabulary.

Consider, for example, what is done in connection with the word for bread, which is “bret” in Melanesian-Pidgin. Since there is no word for bakery, one says “haus bret,” literally “bread house.” The baker is “man bilong wokim bret,” that is, “a man who makes bread.” A loaf of bread is simply “hap bret,” which does not mean half a loaf of bread, but “a piece of” bread. A sliced loaf? Well, that is “bret ol i-katim pastaim,” or “bread previously cut up.”

So even though there are things for which there is not an exact word in Melanesian-Pidgin, one can usually express adequately the thought one has in mind. Thus, without a word for “Creator,” one is not at a loss to express what that title implies, namely, “Man bilong wokim olgeta samting,” which literally means, “the One who makes all things.”

Putting the Language in Writing

There are problems that arise in the translating of literature into Melanesian-Pidgin. However, parts of the Bible, which is the best of literature, have been translated into it. These parts include the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and some of the apostle Paul’s letters. And it is to the credit of the New Guineans that these books are eagerly sought and studied.

More and more reading material is being produced in Melanesian-Pidgin. Public notices and pamphlets now appear in Melanesian-Pidgin, as well as newspapers and a range of books. Also, the internationally distributed journal The Watchtower is published in Melanesian-Pidgin. Some 3,800 copies are printed each issue.

In this day when one of the greatest needs of mankind is to communicate with persons of all races and nationalities without misunderstanding, that language called “Pidgin” is a means to that end.