, 1870-08-14
"PDGN" ENGLISH,
Somc Specimens OF s1aIz Jns1ou<

1fa4dent among thcu- 1t il Interesting I
ine former - = singular example Of baatard
..'. ec. mutually ADOPTED ~ sections Of two
xhst W. peoples and to tho l1tter N verifying
she :: d'etnm Of IN eminent Eng1iah wsiter shzt
Esps;s pSsen ns IL sf5atshzed history. For Pllgin
ninueIeo extEed by each Of those nations
%ao hefA hela intercourse with China over
hef uat1ng classes on the seabo.rI Of the en-
Historical records show that Arab narigators
mAoe s1 asequent voyages to China Is early ~
we Sehth century 4. D., h1t that they ceased
~! intercourse about tive hundred years Later,
Fhen INC Portuguese, who were tbs pioneers
Q, no5 9na9fsan ~ d,seoys n AHA, ret visited tho
at that place in the early part Of the sore7-
teenth century, Got were speedily ore1takan
and snpplanted By tha Engiiah, Who, through
tie rich and influential iody Of monopolists
xa9~n ta. as he 1eco s1t anda company contln-
portion Of foreign trade with China Vel
th.ae'oIe lind that ibis dialect is essentially
English ind Chinese, largely mixed with words
o. Porfnsut 90 o5lgin, with here and there a
few dGr7sc7 from the Arabic.
1t eecns 1t first sight curious that two na-
t,ore, each possessing copious language OF
lte own tbinete contains oyer 10000 w5rlsh
ehculd voluntarily resort to the formation Of |
Etw dialect rs means Of intcrcomnaunira-
tion. People Of course account for this bv the
-
Int i may be interesting to note, - briefly as |
possible, The precise difhru]ty which proyed 30 !
Gre1t as tQ discourage the 4dventurefs Of that |
ds5 from attempting TO master it, aa well Is |
the reAson9 which, on tho other hand, de- !
tetred the Chinanan from acquiring English. |
In the h.st place, there we're no books Of |
ahich the foreigner could avail himself, nor |
| we're there any natives who underatood his |
| language enough to act " teachers. Still,
difficulties Ike these have been successfully |
1 hV md vfu jr
| other unknown countries.
But, in addition to these drawbacks, tho |
foreigner has not only to thtow overheard tny
idea Of Whit We cali grammar, and to acquire
| in any civilized dialect, but Ii xas necessary
that he shunld naAter that great bug-bear of
I mouosyll&bic lAnguagea-toual infection. THIS
M Ans that svef3 word IN Chinese has fixed
'.toue, irrespective Of itn meaning. Perhaps
tho best Illustration which can be gi7en OF this
singular arrangement is BY asking the reader
to repeat aloud the following sentences,
strongly emphasizing The italicized words.
THREE mtn, A. y, And c, arc supposed to be
talking. They FAY: :
! A. john Is dead. Even tone ~
c. 10 J! tPxiafuIy surpr1scd.) Failing tone a1.
4. fta iNoddtnx his heAd) Low tone a.
Nov, irrespective OF sense, ep1y word In
Aandsna Chinese IL pronounced In ons Of
thcee tonee. In Cantonese there are eight
foneA, or the a.ovo in two oesaves, a1d sonne
idea may thus ba formed Of the oolloquial diff
fcuities Of either dialect AZ an example, yen
~ means tobacco: yen (2)salt; yen (sl eyea;
while yen ~ signifies anink slab. It il ecarce-
ly to be wondered 1t il the EnKliah advsntu-
1ers Of the seventeenth century declined the
enormous labor Of studying 80 unsatisfactory
mods Of speech, not the less that any mis-
take in the toae completely altered tho sense
| OF the WoIdt
Nor vcrc the difficulties presented to tho
/ hr hA Nh hR
uaeaps insignificant. Few natives can pro-
nounce the initial r. tho word rice assuming
tsistreaeiuE!y srgkestive form in the Chinese
mouth. The hnAaa u, s., I, fc-, have ever
blocks to John, and it is seldom that they ate
mastered hy Chinese OF mature yesrn. Now
l a.dave. indeed, With schoola and colleges hero
= md IN China open to every Chsnauan, there
: are many who become proficient speakers.
: Int matters wero different hundred and
=. ! inetS years ago. and the only WAY open to
: tha ambitions natives OF that day for acquir-
). ing English VAS By means OF conversation
= with foreigners too busy, too lazy, and, passi-
i.ly. too Ignorant to teach them. They, there
i, fore, treasured in their memories Ench con.
~ crete terms rs they could pick mp, the names
u II articles Of furniture, merchandise, etc, al
Df wluch are in pidgin dialect Of English deri
, | Satiou. A very FEW verbs suficed their wants
:, while restricted number Of adtectires per
y formed alto the dutics OF a'1verbs. The s!n
!, ~hiie their rlursls were left; preroaric:r
- were ignored altogether: and 20 was tormes
ae the English portion Of this singular dialect
The now mer has but littIe difficulty Il
90 comrreh' uding the general rnles which Eo7
~ ern the formation Of lidgin English Histira
he tjaculltosy phrases euch atyai-i = or chor-cho
II for qnickly, man n.nn for slowly e.c. II
nS eoon notices tint snv English verb il turne
ed il to pidzin' by afi1ing tinsl e or re, an
TO to intesro!ssieel.n .ftsE tinal or l. IT. Thu
,hf made walkee; snd 10 on through the cat'
70. ,oguc OF lkee, ,nakee, liseee, elsAkee, ett
ho An - irregular" verb is kill. which ,s general
iI ne made A1itam; Many snhetantivea and ron
LOT sdleciiyes follow similar rule, while othe'
40 way. being always changed into
on whoever it may occa,r. Tins. "ear1y tn
n!d IRE slo,g ~isl M" IL, lyon makeo caiy th
"a Ice long my" The degrees NJ conrarise
Ike "numba one: "better" isa!vay4 4'moro be
ng tee" and l.est iB invariably ''too r,uch
IT, nnn,l,a one One never says ~ want"
he and 20, lut my rauteeo; whilo to expre
- tho plural "they" sone such expression
ba: "alIo that man. tia. too muchae man
az that plenty priceo t22n" is made use G
~ Aimed With these general ib-tructions tbs ty
to I tnsy rotsibly make himself undctetood. i
ray lie to1n tElds tsst something is wanting, II
17y presently learns that the construction is CT
I'LL
ing Lad English talked Chinese fashion; md i
kAc | Lnack Of e1traktnp il with t]ntncv raonir
,rc I >oLsiderab1y more 1rsc.ice than n,nst ne,n
mo It first imagine. It is Of no use saylug to
md Ch.Dese: - lou 60 Missa Jones catchee til
4s. I will not nnderalai,] von yon mnst =.
.ira ). Ios ycu sayee Nisss Jones slpn insi
re- | hat cot oan chair yon 70 eatrhes m,L
an Ling come" il yon would speak clssaic.l
cs. prevails smonc tlo domes,ics At Canton u
H. IIong Kong thst English. a. couuoonlY anol,
re- Is Foreigners, is I sort Of countrv dil1ec, Ii
wo their Fohkllein or Hakka, and that pidci
for il the puro largu.Ee-a belief il wh;el, y,
md foreigners arc conteut to leave them, * Il,
ale mako 70 efyvrt to acquire It, and ars ron.
or onently less Of a cheeI unou conreraatjor,
ally heir rrescpce,
CO. One OF tho most curious words IN ueo
boy "pircee," which. with '.pitlsin" t~hich il re
,cf- iy corruption Of !" business "-hencs !. bu
wo- ncsn (ridEin1 Euelish'1. enters into eve
last lengthy aentence used. Gcndetr. when dss
un oated, arr uRnalls distinguished by The an
ION | COW" and +" hull." Son,c ycafs ago nat;
.,r ~ .!s eAuie iuusntEs ~ s's nsMe. ~ stsas
"Wl,st thing: :" said hin maeter. i. oh n,
in ~. t)at heaycn- -r,ifJcin-rnan rni.aissae r,
mil ca,clce on. little plecoe tow-chilo." mean;
oar that tic lev. Mr. "a wife lid presen;
Tho ! icr En.htnd viii, a little ,rl.
H., Thc t'l,;,aman has ,,.t,ral,v .1o,tcd =
ow- ,aip xorl form.f;ons vh;rh Ar. c..r ~ =,
wv / w. e1*AAN%4e-.S "sAA< ~ Az SA1t ~ ~
aud rsetchd ami caEal1e OF vide ap2licati
,.rv II. W sar.s w,sha-,nsn ;, - I,;,trH, :
tier >failE, ~ The way. becomes "tuilhk" in t
'ua- sin) tnu sae tire, arguing by analogy,
0 IN 'oc'or ~ " "aoctcFman M actor "si
cr;' * ft1. NJ = eesrns,ress !. = nsar".swe,,,
hing N sact, the female Eendet IL, tn the mai
's;h 81 ffohohna, a!"ays utterly ignored on
1cs- tEsnilS 1fona Nak you Will DC ln1Frt
'ek~ that "one Tecee mtsslsseo have ca1lse;
VIZ, for rn, no -, II Iosss.a % ia ~ - Gs
~, r.m.rheJ r-.s9 WV no,+1s,,. -. ,r.-is -
nssSn mss -, - ~o1I -. 49, ;sass sh-s,
ana ~ cor,ra. I'M = = -at,,,rlt % ~.
"e ftm,;,r u;th tharo snn3 .e,,,.na. va ~
e4 "e.. ""u Teoa. oaeo esnteoCe. 1o1
a. ~ uaeaee P&aouB uA'o