The asian angle on CJ

[Leanne Riding]

I'm half-asian (that being Japanese), so the asian angle is interesting
to me as well. If I find out anything more specific to Chinook Jargon
I'll post it.

In the museum in Vancouver BC's Chinatown district, there is a photo of
a well-known lawyer (whose name escapes me because I didn't write it
down), and the caption mentioned that he could speak Chinook Jargon. I
expect that the Cariboo gold rush photographer, C. D. Hoy, also of
China, could speak it too as he was on good terms with the native
community. I read somewhere that in 1871 at the time BC became a
province of Canada, the caucasian and asian populations were about equal.

Not CJ, but reminds me that, Japanese Canadians might chastise someone
with "Wasamatayu!" (What's wrong with you!). Seems to me that such words
like bynby and allasame are similar.

Recently I learned, from a friend, that the Japanese American name for
Mt. Ranier was "Takomafuji." That was interesting.


On Thursday, March 25, 2004, at 03:37 , Bruce, Colin wrote:

> I've wondered before if there are any other words from Chinese pidgin
> in CJ.
> I think I've seen By-n-by in some accounts of Shanghai pidgin.
>
> ...
>
> I am interested in the occurrence of "all-the-same" in this text, a
> Chinese/Pacific pidgin word. How common is this in CJ?