*sarampang* 'to break'

[Daniel Long]

I am working on contact languages which developed between Japanese and
other languages.  (There aren't many.)   A 19th century pidgin used in
Yokohama contains the word "serampan" or "sarampan" meaning "ruin,
break, destoy".  It is said to have come from Malay "sarampang".  (But
the only Malay dictionary I have been able to consult did not list this
word.)  This Yokohama pidgin appears to have some relationship to
Chinese pidgin English varieties.  So, I was wondering if this word has
found its way into any other Pacific (contact) languages.

Your help would be appreciated.
Danny Long
--
Daniel Long, Associate Professor     tel  +81-426-77-2184
Japanese Language and Literature Dept.    fax  +81-426-77-2140
Tokyo Metropolitan University
1-1 Minami Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo  192-0397 Japan
mailto:dlong at bcomp.metro-u.ac.jp
http://nihongo.human.metro-u.ac.jp/long/