Pacific pidgins and creoles: origins, growth and development

Pacific Pidgins and Creoles discusses the complex and fascinating history of English-based pidgins in the Pacific, especially the three closely related Melanesian pidgins: Tok Pisin, Pijin, and Bislama. The book details the central role of the port of Sydney and the linguistic synergies between Australia and the Pacific islands in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the role of Pacific islander plantation labor overseas, and the differentiation which has taken place in the pidgins spoken in the Melanesian island states in the 20th century. It also looks at the future of Pacific pidgins at a time of increasing vernacular language endangerment.

Front matter --; Chapter 1 Introduction --; Chapter 2 Present-day Pacific pidgins --; Chapter 3 Previous theories of pidgin development --; Chapter 4 Early days: History of contacts 1788-1863 --; Chapter 5 The beginnings: The language situation 1788-1863 --; Chapter 6 The plantations: History of contacts 1863-1906 --; Chapter 7 Jargon to pidgin: The language situation 1863-1906 --; Chapter 8 Colonial days: History of contacts 1906-1975 --; Chapter 9 Differentiation: The language situation 1906-1975 --; Chapter 10 Today's world: 1975 to the present --; Chapter 11 Conclusion --; Appendix I Konstitusin blong Ripablik blong Vanuatu --; Appendix II Maps --; References --; Index