Pidgin

Pidgin languages are contact languages that arise when speakers of different native languages need to communicate, usually in contexts of trade, colonization, or labor migration. A pidgin obtains its core vocabulary from one dominant language, known as the lexifier, and possesses a deliberately simplified grammar and phonology. Pidgins are characterized by the absence of native speakers; they are learned as second languages or lingua francas rather than as a mother tongue. Grammar tends to be analytic with limited inflection, use of particles to mark tense or aspect, a simplified pronoun system, and relatively fixed word order. The lexicon is typically focused on everyday domains and core communicative functions.

The distinction between pidgin and creole is historical and sociolinguistic. A pidgin becomes a creole when it is learned as a first language by children and develops into a stable, fully functional language within a community. Creoles often show greater grammatical regularity and expressiveness than their pidgin antecedents.

Prominent pidgins and creoles derived from pidgins include Tok Pisin and Bislama in the Pacific (Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu), Nigerian Pidgin in West Africa, and Hawaiian Pidgin (also known as Hawaii Creole English) in Hawaii. Haitian Creole, while rooted in French, is typically classified as a creole rather than a pidgin. Today, pidgins and creoles serve as lingua francas, community languages, and media languages in various regions, reflecting their ongoing sociolinguistic importance.