Friday, November 11, 2011

What is Pidgin?

What is pidgin?

The term, pidgin is used to describe a simplified language developed by a group of people who do not have a common language in which to communicate.  Later on, the pidgin will develop into a creole that is a more complex language.  The word 'pidgin' is also used to refer to the local speech in Hawaii, but really it is considered a creole and also known as Hawaii Creole English (HCE).

Several languages have contributed to HCE; Portuguese, Chinese, English, and Hawaiian.  I'm interested in discovering the influence that Hawaiian has had on HCE, specifically on its intonation.