They disappear when the reason for communication diminishes, as communities either move apart, one community learns the language of the other, or both communities learn a common language (usually the official language of the country). Spanish-speaking regions including Spanish-based Pidgins and CreolesĪll maps are courtesy of Muturzikin A website of language maps in Basque language.ĭue to their limited function, pidgin languages usually do not last very long, rarely more than several decades. Portuguese speaking regions including Portuguese-based Pidgins and Creoles People understand it right away although the elaborate version of it is It has been a long time that I have seen you.Įnglish-speaking regions including English-based Pidgins and Creolesįrench-speaking regions including French-based Pidgins and Creolesĭutch speaking regions including Dutch-based Pidgins and Creoles Have you heard of this expression ‘ Long time no see‘? That is a simple example of Pidgin based on English. At that time pidgin was the lingua franca for trading and a communication tool for slaves. Pidgin is a mix of local languages with influences of English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, Chinese etc. Pidgin languages started to develop in areas where the colonists and traders came and settled.

The origin of pidgin comes from colonialism, trade and slavery. The users learn it orally as second language.

It is built on rudimentary grammar, simple structure and limited vocabulary. Still, for simple purposes, it does work, and often everybody in the area learns to handle it” ( Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2007). Trask and Peter Stockwell, “A pidgin is nobody’s mother tongue, and it is not a real language at all: it has no elaborate grammar, it is very limited in what it can convey, and different people speak it differently.

It is interesting to explore because in spite of the lack of elaborate grammar the users understand each other easily.Īccording to R.L.

Pidgin is a term for languages which are used by people who do not have a language in common.

Pidgin examples