pidgin

Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From pigeon English, from a Chinese attempt to pronounce the English word business during trades in the Far East.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈpɪdʒɪn/, SAMPA: /"pIdZIn/
• (US) enPR: pĭjʹən, IPA: /ˈpɪdʒən/, SAMPA: /"pIdZ@n/
• Rhymes: -ɪdʒən, -ɪdʒɪn
• Homophone: pigeon

Noun

pidgin (plural pidgins)

1. (linguistics) an amalgamation of two disparate languages, used by two populations having no common language as a lingua franca to communicate with each other, lacking formalized grammar and having a small, utilitarian vocabulary and no native speakers.

   Middle English likely began as a pidgin between the Norman invaders and the Anglo-Saxon-speaking (Old English) occupants of Britain. Otherwise, how could they have gotten any business done?

Translations

amalgamation of two languages having no native speakers

Esperanto: piĝino (eo) French: pidgin (fr) m., créole (fr) m., langue véhiculaire (fr) f. German: Tok Pisin n. (for Papua-Guinea pidgin), Pidgin-Sprachen (de)

Italian: pidgin (it) Macedonian: пиџин (mk) (pídžin) m. Polish: pidżyn (pl) m., język pidżynowy m. Russian: пиджин (ru) (pídžin) m.

Related terms

• pidgin English
• Pijin

See also

• creole

External links

• Pidgin English - English Dictionary: from Webster's Dictionary - the Rosetta Edition.