LL-L: "Contact varieties" LOWLANDS-L, 10.FEB.2000 (01) [E]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 10.FEB.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
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 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
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From: john feather <johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: Pidgins

I have just been glancing through "Introduction to New Guinea Pidgin" by
Father Fran Mihalic S.V.D.. New Guinea Pidgin, or Melanesian Pidgin English,
or Neo-Melanesian apparently had its origin amongst indentured labourers
from New Britain working in Queensland in the latter part of the 19th
century. I believe it is now the official language of Papua-New Guinea.
Although much of the vocabulary is based on English I noticed two words
which appear to derive from German: hobel (a plane) and maisel (a wood
chisel). Why that language and why carpentry?

The author talks about pidgins in general in his Introduction. One of those
which he identifies is Afrikaans. Looking at the question (if possible)
purely from a linguistic point of view, is it reasonable to say that
Afrikaans started life as a pidgin, or did it arise by rapid evolution from
standard Dutch in the relative absence of conservative/bookish influences?
Does it have a high proportion of words (excluding words for local items,
species, etc) from languages other than Dutch?

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Contact varieties

John wrote (above) re Tok Pisin (Neo-Melanesian):

> I believe it is now the official language of Papua-New Guinea.

It is.  Apparently 846 languages are still spoken in that country, and Tok
Pisin is *the* lingua franca with official standing.  Tok Pisin is one of many
South Pacific pidgins (including Queensland Plantation Pidgin), all of which
were influenced, though mostly indirectly, by the "veteran": China Coast
Pidgin.  I'm not sure if Tok Pisin is still only a pidgin or if it has
advanced to the level of creole, i.e., now has native speakers, presumably in
the cities.

> Although much of the vocabulary is based on English I noticed two words
> which appear to derive from German: hobel (a plane) and maisel (a wood
> chisel). Why that language and why carpentry?

The Bismarck Archipelago, the western part of the Solomon Islands and the
north-eastern part of the New Guinea were imperial German colonies for a
while.  I believe they all went to Britain after World War I.  (Didn't all
German colonies?)  German thus influenced the development of this language, in
part also because of German missionary work.  (I believe it started before
official German colonization.)  There are a lot more words of German origin in
Tok Pisin than the two you found.  For instance _mak_ (< _Mark_) is still used
for 'pound' or 'dollar' in some dialects.  I understand that religious
terminology and pre-electronic technology terminology is particularly
German-derived (hence the two words you found).

We have a list of links to websites that deal Lowlands-based contact
varieties:
<http://www.geocities.com/sassisch/rhahn/lowlands/links_creoles.htm>.  You
might like to check it out sometime.

Regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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