Pisin

Pisin, commonly called Tok Pisin, is an English-based creole spoken in Papua New Guinea. It emerged from contact between English speakers and speakers of Indigenous languages in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and has become a widely used lingua franca across the country. It is used in daily life, media, education, and government, alongside English and Hiri Motu.

Classification and history: Pisin belongs to the Melanesian Pidgin family of creoles. Its vocabulary is largely English-derived, while its grammar is simplified. It began as a pidgin for trade and administration and later creolized as a first language for many communities. Standard forms have formed through schooling, broadcasting, and religious texts.

Linguistic characteristics: The language uses a subject–verb–object order and relies on particles and word order to indicate tense and aspect. Pronouns include inclusive and exclusive forms. Reduplication is used for aspect or plurality. Its lexicon blends English-derived words with borrowings from Malay, German, and local languages, creating a distinctive register.

Usage and status: Tok Pisin is an official language of Papua New Guinea and functions as a common language in urban and rural areas. It is widely taught and published, and serves as a bridge among diverse communities. Regional varieties and registers exist, from everyday speech to formal usage.

Orthography: Pisin uses the Latin alphabet with relatively regular spelling. The standardized form is used in education, media, and printed materials, including dictionaries and Bible translations, helping stabilize its written form.