Saturday, February 12, 2011

Pidgin (Jandt 136)

     Pidgin is a distinct form of language that derives from the combo of two or more different languages. This accumulation of different languages originally was restricted to the usage of trade. Many people believe that pidgin is a sign of ignorance and/or uneducated but pidgin has spread from traders, laborers, to usage in National Parliament, and even Prince Charles of Great Britain used it in speech. I don't peg pidgin as less noted comparatively to American English or any other basic form of  language, I do however believe that it should be used wisely and appropriately. It has it's benefits of being able to communicate more efficiently with others but there are times when you must be aware of those around you and act accordingly. 
     Although not addressed in the textbook I'd categorize Hawaii's form of pidgin to be Melanesian Pidgin English, which means it was based on the English language. I'm from Hawaii and I know hoe to speak pidgin but I only use it when I'm back home or talking to certain individuals, for in most cases up here in the mainland U.S. its unnecessary and it would only cause confusion which could easily be avoided if I just spoke English. This video is of a comedian who shares a brief example of the pidgin local to Hawaii. I of course find it amusing and  know it to be true, see if you can share the humor too. Keep in mind she's talking about old school pidgin because remember like everything, things evolve and have subtle changes over time. 

1 comment:

  1. I use pidgin almost everyday in my life. My home is a Hispanic home and although my parents both speak fluent english sometimes it's easier to speak Spanish. We all speak both English and Spanish and sometimes without even realizing we intermix both languages into something people may call Spanglish. I know I do it all the time at home and sometimes I'm not even aware of it. But I rarely do it outside of my home.

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