LL-L: "Contact varieties" LOWLANDS-L, 11.FEB.2000 (01) [E]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 11.FEB.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: gdeutsch at estec.esa.nl
Subject: LL-L: "Contact varieties" LOWLANDS-L, 10.FEB.2000 (01) [E]

Ron answerded John Feather about his question why Tok Pisin,
the official Language (English based Pdgin/Creole) of New Guinea
has German-based words:

QUOTE>... and the north-eastern part of the New Guinea were imperial German
colonies for a
while. <snip>  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).<UNQUOTE

Without having a genuine sound information I would guess that the German
influence into Tok Pisin could have come also indirectly via the New Guinean
German-based Creole "Unserdeutsch", which seems to have come into being in
connection with German catholic missionary work. It apparently is (or maybe
better: 'was', since Unserdeutsch is just about to become extinct) spoken
mainly by people who also speak Tok Pisin, which makes this way of influence
more likely.

Kind regards

Georg Deutsch

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