Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-08-04

| the names oil ARTICLES OF furniture, mer
chandise, etc., all Of which are in pdgir
dialect of English derivation A very
few verbs sufficed to serve their wants
4 while restricted number Of adjectives
performed also the duties of adverbs
The singular pronouns my, you and he
were taken, while their plurals we're left
propositions swere ignored altogether;
Iand so was formed the English portion OF
this singular dialect.
| E NT LEARNING PIDGIY
The new conner has but little difficulty
in comprehending the general rules
which govern the formation of Pidgin
English. His first efforts will probably
be confined to picking up ejaculatory
phrases, such as fai-tee or chop-chop for
| quickly man man for slowly, etc. He
soon notices that any English verb is
turned into "pidgn by afiixing final
G or ee, and interpolating an after final
dort. Thus want become "wantsee;"
walk is made walkee;" and so on
through the catalogue of likee, makee,
kissee, speakee, etc. An " irregular "
verb is kill, which is generally made
| kill,m Many substantives and some
adjectives follow similar rule, while
others take double o, the letter r, by the
| way, being always changed into ] wher-
ever it may occur. Thus, carry that
rice along with me" is, "you makee
cally that lice long my" The degrees
of comparison are amusing. Good
is either "good or numba one;" bet
ter is always "more bettee," and best
is invariably "too muchee numba one. "
One never says want so and so, but
ma wantsee;" while to express the
plural they some such expression as
allo that man." that too muchee
man or that plenty pricee man" is
made use of. Armed with these general
Instructions the tyro may possibly
make himself understood. But he
soon finds that something is wanting and
presently learns that the construction is
Chinese. Pidgin English is in fact not
merely bad English talked Chinese fash
ion; and the knack of speaking it with
huency requires considerable more prac
tice than most people at first imagine.
1t is of no use saying to Chinese:
You 90 Missa Jones catchee that chair
inside he shop" for the chances are he
will not understand you. You must say
"Boyl you savee Missa Jones shop; in
side hab got one chair; you go catchee
makee bling come" if you would speak
classically and be sure of being COM
pretended. A notion prevails among
the domestics at Canton and Hong Kong
that English as commonly spoken by
foreigners is a sort Of country dialect
like their Fohkhein or Hakka, and that
"pidgin =" is the pure language-a belief
in which wise foreigners are content to
leave them, as they make no effort to
acquire it, and are consequently less of
check upon conversation in their pres
ence.
One of the most curious words in use
is "piece," which, with "pidgin' (which
is really corruption of business -
hence business (pidgin) English T" en-
ters into every lengthy sentence used
Genders, when designated, are usually |
distinguished by the afixes "cow " and
bull " Some years ago native boy
came rushing to his master in great ex-
element, being evidently brimful of
news. "What thing?" said his master.
"Oh, massa, that heaven-pidgin-man
mississee have catchee one little piecee
cow-chilo;' y meaning that the Rev. Mr..
IS wife had presented her husband
with little girl.
THE LOGIC OF PIDGIN ENGLISH.
The Chinaman has naturally adopted
certain word formations which are easy
to comprehend and capable divide appli-
cation. Thus the word man" is ex-
tensively availed of. We say washer
man." hmilkman," etc. milk, by the
way, becomes "millik in pidgin), and
the native, arguing by analogy, applies
the word whenever he gets a chance A
doctor is doctorman," an actor a
" singsongman;" and the term is applied
of sex, as seamstress is a
sew-sew-man In fact the female
always utterly ignored. On returning
from a walk you will be informed that
" one piecee mississee have callee; he
talkee he no stop no got tim. He no
savee what for no go looksse he" As
already remarked, a great many PortH-
guese words are made use of as well as
pure Chinese phrases, and of course time
IS required to become familiar with them
Such sentence, for instance, as Too
muchee pailong have got downside that
ship place; maskee can makee cuttee
he head. Bimeby can go
yelang catches buy plenty gun"-"There
are a large number of pirates in the har-
Dor; never mind, they'll all lose their t
heads. By-and-by there will be plenty '
of guns to be got at auction would |
prove rather stiff sentence for even ad- I
ganced "pidgin" scholars, though all the {
words are strictly portion of the dialect.
VERBAL EMBARRAssMEYTs.
Great difficulty is naturally expert .
sneed In imbHing the native mind with I
hat may BE termed the lelieaeies of !
.ioD, and lady visitors are some
lines scandalized OF. of all propriety at \ =
he information that Mr.. Scc,a2d-So, y
lpon whom they may have called,
Makee oatohs bath pronounced baatl; 0
10 got close" The blundeFs thus made 0
ire sometimes distressing, especially at c
full dinner table. 1t is, however, in his {
nautical capacity as pilot that John u
Jhinaman INDUCES in the most singular u
,urlesquss upon what be calls flnglisse. u
70 hesye the ship he will boldly shout 6
Shizzee may tawsr, which he imagines a
; "Shiyer tbe main topsaill" while the o
lightest remonstrance upon his style is 1
net with On indignant 'Wha faR you u
nakee bobbery myf my tinkse you too 9
nuchee foOlool' And yet these are the !,
lass Of men frequently employed as in u
erpreters-Heaven save the markl-in
essels of war, both American and Brit
n. No wonder that we read of occa- N
ional mistakes" r..E .,
Tho writer has met ono Cbinan,an aud :,