today's CNN miscellany

[W Brewer]

Chinee:  pidginization vs. metanalysis?

Benjamin Barrett wrote:  <<<I associate "Chinee" as coming from Cantonese
(by the people or in imitation of them), which doesn't allow s/z in the
coda>>>

WB: In my Hawaiian years, early 1960s, the kama-ainas called those of
Portuguese heritage _Portuguee_ [PORT.uh.ghee], with no opprobium attached
to that term in Hawaiian pidgin. Chinee, on the other hand, conjures up
images of British masters in Hong Kong or Shanghai being served by their
servile Chinese servants. Clearly, {Portuguee, pea, cherry, sherry} are the
result of metanalysis. {Chinee} could be (1) the result of reanalyzing the
final [z] of Chinese as a plural morpheme or (2) Chinese pidgin
simplification of syllable structure (as Benjamin Barret notes); or a
confluence of both factors (multiple causation). Cf RA Hall (1944) JAOS 64,
for helpful advice on dealing with your Chinese help persons.

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