(fwd) Re: henry sinclair story???

[Jim Holton]

Hi Mike, I've read little tidbits about this pidgin off and on.  There
is a linguistics article (I don't have it) in "Anthropological
Linguistics", Vol 31, nos. 3-4, Fall and Winter 1989.  It is "The
Language of the Coast Tribes is Half Basque": A Basque-American Indian
Pidgin, 1540-1640 by Peter Bakker.  Although most references to it
mention that it was spoken in Nova Scotia between Native Americans and
Basque fishermen/whalers, the abstract of Mr. Bakker's article state
that it was used "on the coast and along the banks of the Saint Lawrence
River."  LaXayEm, Jim


Mike Cleven wrote:
>
> The following item turned up in sci.lang tonight; thought y'all might find
> it interesting in reference to other pidgins; I hadn't heard this one
> mentioned before - anyone know the refs and maybe have a copy of Champlain
> around for a quote?
>
> *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
>
> >From: ironmtn at bigfoot.com (Mike Cleven)
> >To: ironmtn at bigfoot.com
> >Subject: (fwd) Re: henry sinclair story???
> >Date:  Tue, 01 Dec 1998 13:00:59 GMT
> >Organization: Iron Mountain Creative Systems
> >Reply-To: ironmtn at bigfoot.com
> >X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.5/32.452
> >
> >On 1 Dec 1998 06:57:01 GMT, in sci.archaeology
> >aawest at netnews.CritPath.Org (Anthony West) wrote:
> >
> >By 1534, when Jacques Cartier penetrates as far as Hochelaga
> >(Montreal), 1000 km W of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, he finds *a
> >Basque pidgin* firmly in place there: Iroquoians peddling corn and
> >pussy to his crew in this trade jargon, that also incorporates
> >Portuguese and Franco-Breton elements. (Cartier naively records
> >this Basque jabber as "Indian," confounding N American linguists
> >centuries later.)
> >
> >Mike Cleven
> >http://members.home.net/ironmtn/
> >
> >The thunderbolt steers all things.
> >                          - Herakleitos
> >
> >
> >