Pidgin

Usually, pidgin languages develop for a specific purpose, like trade. They often emerge through slavery and/or colonization. When people speak a pidgin as their first language, it evolves naturally into a Creole language.

The term "pidgin" originates from the Chinese word pídīng, meaning "business" or "trading."

 Features 
To make communication easier, pidgin languages often have elements (like vocabulary and basic grammar) that come from multiple languages.

Pidgins are typically used in specific situations (like trade), and not as first languages. Pidgin speakers usually maintain their native, non-pidgin languages. For this reason, pidgins are not as complex or stable as fully developed languages.

 Pidgin and Creole languages 
Pidgin languages develop before Creole languages.

 Pidgin vs. Creole 

 Pidgin 
Pidgin languages are simplified so it is easier to learn and use them. They have:

 Simplified grammar
 Reduced vocabulary
 Elements from multiple languages

Over time, as pidgin languages become more stable and are passed on to the next generation as a native language, they can evolve into creole languages.

 Creole 
Creoles are fully developed languages with their own grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. They often include elements from the pidgin's parent languages, but they also have their own unique features.

Creole languages arise when children speak pidgin as their first language and use it for all purposes - not just its original purpose (like trade). Thus, pidgin languages serve as simplified contact languages for immediate communication. However, 

 Creolization 
Pidgins become Creole languages when they become more stable, and when there are native speakers who use pidgin as their first language.

As pidgin languages are passed down through generations, they undergo a process of creolization. This means they develop more complex grammatical structures, expanded vocabulary, and clearer phonological features.

This process of creolization often occurs over generations as children learn the pidgin as their first language. As it is used regularly, the language evolves naturally.

 History 
English sailors and traders in the 18th century used pidgin to communicate with Chinese merchants.

As colonial powers expanded their influence, pidgin languages emerged around the world, including the Pacific Islands, Africa, and the Caribbean. They often developed as a result of interactions between indigenous peoples, Europeans, and enslaved Africans. Pidgin languages made it possible for these people to communicate with each other without first learning each other's languages.

 Countries that use pidgin 
Countries that use pidgin languages as their official languages include Papua New Guinea, Jamaica and some other Caribbean and Central American countries:

 Country Creole-Type Amount Of Speakers Main Language(s) Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen) 90-100% French  Jamaican Patois (Jamaican Creole) 90-95% English  Trinidadian Creole English (Trinidadian Creole or Trini Talk) ~90+% Englishleft|25px|border|link=Flag of Seychelles Seychelles Seychellois Creole (Kreol Seselwa) N/A (no number figure) [widely spoken] English/French left|25px|border|link=Flag of Mauritius Mauritius Mauritian Creole (Kreol Morisien) 80-90% English/French   Guadeloupean Creole French ~90+% French  Martinican Creole French ~90+% French left|25px|border|link=Flag of Cape Verde Cape Verde Cape Verdean Creole (Kriolu) N/A (no number figure) [widely spoken] Portuguese left|25px|border|link=Flag of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Krio N/A (no number figure) [widely spoken] English  Suriname Sranan Tongo 85% Dutch  left|20px|border Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin (Pidgin English) 50 - 60% Tok Pisin Saint Lucian Creole French 95% English  Antiguan Creole English 95% English Vincentian Creole English99%EnglishKittian Creole Englishno number figureEnglishDominican Creole English100%English HondurasN/A (no number figure) [widely spoken]no number figureSpanish ColombiaN/A (no number figure) [widely spoken]no number figureSpanish Costa RicaN/A (no number figure) [widely spoken]no number figureSpanishKriol~50%English

*Language data changes daily and should not be used as exact numbers

 Examples 

 Creole phrases 

 "Mwen renmen ou" (Haitian Creole) - "I love you"
 "Mi famili come lebon" (Tok Pisin) - "My family is good"
 "Mi go fit gari" (Nigerian Pidgin) - "I will eat gari"
 "Nou ka manje manje" (Seychellois Creole) - "We are eating food"
 "Mi papa bin sabi book" (Cameroonian Pidgin) - "My father knows how to read"

 Pidgin phrases 

 "Me like go market" (Nigerian Pidgin) - "I want to go to the market"
 "You come yesterday?" (Tok Pisin) - "Did you come yesterday?"
 "Mi no sabi speak English well" (Cameroonian Pidgin) - "I don't know how to speak English well"
 "Him big pass you" (Jamaican Patois) - "He is bigger than you"
 "Mi want chop" (Sierra Leonean Krio) - "I want to eat"

 References 

 Sources 




Category:Languages