Solomon Islands

Pijin
 Pidgin
A pidgin, or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that
develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common: typically, its
vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from several languages. It is most
commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages
different from the language of the country in which they reside (but where there is no
common language between the groups).

A pidgin differs from a creole, which is the first language of a speech community of native
speakers that at one point arose from a pidgin. Unlike pidgins, creoles have fully developed
vocabulary and patterned grammar. Most linguists believe that a creole develops through a
process of nativization of a pidgin when children of acquired pidgin-speakers learn and use
it as their native language.
 Pijin language
Pijin (Solomons Pidgin or Neo-Solomonic) is a language spoken in the
Solomon Islands. It is closely related to Tok Pisin of Papua New Guinea and
Bislama of Vanuatu; these might be considered dialects of a single language.
It is also related to Torres Strait Creole of Torres Strait, though more distantly.

In 1999 there were 307,000 second- or third-language speakers with a literacy

rate in first language of 60%, a literacy rate in second language of 50%.
 History

1800–1860
During the early nineteenth century, an English Jargon, known as Beach-La-Mar, developed
and spread through the Western Pacific as a language used among traders (Lingua franca)
associated with the whaling industry at the end of the 18th century, the sandalwood trade of
the 1830s, and the bêche-de-mer trade of the 1850s.

1860–1880
Between 1863 and 1906, blackbirding was used for the sugar cane plantation labour trade in
Queensland, Samoa, Fiji and New Caledonia. At the beginning of the trade period, the
Australian planters started to recruit in the Loyalty Islands early 1860s, Gilbert Islands and the
Banks Islands around the mid-1860s, New Hebrides and the Santa Cruz Islands in the early
1870s, and New Ireland and New Britain from 1879 when recruiting became difficult. Around
13,000 Solomon Islanders were taken to Queensland during this labour trade period.
 History
1880–1900
Plantation languages continued into the 20th century even though the process of blackbirding had
ceased. Due to the changing nature of labour traffic there was a divergence of Samoan plantation
Pijin and New Guinea Tok Pisin and also other plantation Pijin and Oceanic Pijins such as
Bislama and Solomon Pijin.

After 1900
In 1901, there were approximately 10,000 Pacific Islanders working in Australia, most in the
sugar cane industry in Queensland and northern New South Wales, many working as indentured
labourers. The Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901, Parliament of Australia was the facilitation
instrument used to deport approximately 7,500 Pacific Islanders.

Up until 1911 approximately 30,000 Solomon Islanders were indentured labourers to Queensland,
Fiji, Samoa and New Caledonia.[9] The use of Pijin by churches and missionaries assisted in the
spread of Pijin.
 History
With Pax Britannica and the advent of the local plantation system in the Solomon Islands, the use of
Pijin was reactivated and the language started to spread in the country. It also acquired more Solomonic
linguistic characteristics. Throughout the 20th century Pijin kept spreading: historical events such as
Maasina Rule and WWII, and social changes such as urbanisation, played a central role in the
transformation of the language. It is now the lingua franca of the country, though it has no official
status.

2000s
Despite being the lingua franca of the Solomon Islands, Pijin remains a spoken language with little to
no effort made thus far on the part of the national government toward standardising its orthography and
grammar. Efforts at standardisation have been made by Christian Associations such as SITAG. There
exist a partial dictionary since 1978 (Simons and Young 1978), a full dictionary of Pijin since 2002
(Jourdan 2002), a spelling list (Beimers 2010) and a complete description of its grammar (Beimers
2009). This being the case Pijin remains a very flexible language where the main focus is on message
delivery irrespective of the niceties of formal sentence construction. A translation of the Bible into pijin
also represents a standardisation of some aspects of Pijin.
 Pronunciation
English Sound – IPA Pijin Sound – IPA Pijin example English Origin
teacher, chair, much (how
s – [s] tisa, sea, mas (hamas)
ch – [tʃ] much?)
si – [si] sios church
sh – [ʃ] s – [s] sot, bus, masin short, bush, machine
s – [s] maos mouth
th – [θ] torowe, torowem, ating, throw, throw away, I think,
t – [t]
andanit underneath
t – [t] brata, barata, bro brother

th – [ð] d – [d] deswan, diswan, this wan this one

r – [ɹ] nara, narawan another, another one

z – [z] s – [s] resa razor
 Introductions
Aftanun olketa! = Good afternoon everyone!
Replies
Nem blo mi Charles = My name is Charles Mi olraet nomoa = I am alright

Hao nao (iu)? (Iu hao?) = How are you Mi gut (nomoa) = I am good’

Wat na nem blo iu? = What is your name? Oraet nomoa = Alright

Iu blo wea? = Where are you from? Ma iu (yu) hao? = And how are you?

Mi hapi tumas fo mitim iu. = I'm pleased to meet you. Tanggio tumas = Thank you very
much
Wanem nao lanus iu save? = What languages do you
know?
 Personal pronouns
Singular
Pijin English Clusivity
Pronouns
Pijin pronouns also use different forms to distinguish
1st Person mi me between inclusive and exclusive pronouns. The
2nd Person iu you inclusive and exclusive features are only realised in
3rd Person hem him/her/it the first person dual, trial, and plural pronoun forms.
For example, the first-person dual inclusive
pronoun, iumitufala, means ‘we’ (you and me,
including the listener), and the first-person dual
Pijin, like other languages to which it is exclusive pronoun, mitufala, means ‘we’ (him/her
related, involves a distinction between and me, excluding the listener). This dual inclusive
singular, dual, trial and plural pronouns. pronoun is used quite frequently in the Solomon
Dual forms refer to two people or things, Islands. It is used most often in religious sermons
trial forms refer to three and plural forms when the speaker is referring to a relationship
refer to three or more. Such pronoun forms between himself/herself and a specific individual in
do not occur in English but are common in the audience.
South Pacific languages.
Thank You