pidgin

English

Etymology

From pidgin English, from a Chinese Pidgin English pronunciation of English business during trade in the Far East. Other suggested derivations include:

• Hebrew פִּדְיוֹן‏ (pidyón, “exchange; trade; redemption”)
• Chinese pronunciation of Portuguese ocupação (“occupation; business”)
• South Seas pronunciation of English beach
• Portuguese baixo (“low”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɪdʒɪn/
• (US) enPR: pĭjʹən, IPA^(key): /ˈpɪdʒən/
• Rhymes: -ɪdʒən, -ɪdʒɪn
• Homophone: pigeon

Noun

pidgin (countable and uncountable, 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.

Translations

amalgamation of two languages having no native speakers

• Armenian: փիջին (pʿiǰin)
• Bislama: pijin
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 皮欽語 (zh), 皮钦语 (zh) (píqīnyǔ), 混雜語言, 混杂语言 (hùnzá yǔyán)

• Esperanto: piĝino
• French: pidgin (fr) m, créole (fr) m, langue véhiculaire (fr) f
• German: Pidgin-Sprache (de) f, Pidgin (de) n
• Italian: pidgin
• Japanese: ピジン言語 (pijin gengo)

• Macedonian: пиџин m (pídžin)
• Maori: kōrapurapu, reo kōrapurapu
• Pijin: pijin
• Polish: pidżyn m, język pidżynowy m
• Portuguese: pidgin (pt) m
• Russian: пи́джин (ru) m (pídžin)
• Spanish: pidgin m
• Swahili: pijini
• Tok Pisin: pisin (tpi)

Related terms

• pidgin English
• Pijin
• Tok Pisin

Derived terms

• West African Pidgin Portuguese

Usage notes

• Some pidgins that have developed into creoles nevertheless retain the word "pidgin" in their names.

See also

• creole

Further reading

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

---

Portuguese

Noun

pidgin m (plural pidgins)

1. (linguistics) pidgin (amalgamation of two languages having no native speakers)

---

Spanish

Noun

pidgin m (plural pidgins)

pidgin (amalgamation of two languages having no native speakers)