Pidgin and creole languages, once described as “broken English”, “bastardized jargons” or “marginal languages”, became objects of serious research for many professional linguists from all over the world. They have generally been accepted as new and independent languages rather than corrupted versions of other, so-called higher, languages (cf. Holm 2000:1). Pidgins and creoles became central to linguistic studies on first and second language acquisition, language linguistic universals, language change and language contact (cf. Todd 2001: 524). McMahon (1994: 253) points out that there are “[a]pproximately 200 pidgin and creole languages spoken today, mostly in West Africa, the Carribean and the South Pacific.” Tok Pisin, a national language of Papua New Guinea, which is located in the southwest of the Pacific Ocean, can be considered a pidgin/creole language1. In many respects, it shares the linguistic and socio-historical features of other pidgins and creoles spoken around the world. However, Tok Pisin is unusual with regard to its linguistic development, which did not take as much time as in the case of most other pidgin and creole languages. Moreover, linguists are eagerly interested in studying this contact language because its historical development is precisely and accurately documented (cf. Mühlhäusler 1990: 177-181).
The pidgin language Tok Pisin has been introduced in the course of this semester´s seminar Contact Situations: English-Related Pidgins and Creoles. I was part of the presentation group on Tok Pisin. Already then, my interest was raised. Thus, I was concerned with literature and information about the pidgin language before I began to write this term paper.
This term paper raises the question whether and to what extent Tok Pisin gains influence in Papua New Guinea over the course of time? In this context, various evidence for the assumption will be displayed and above this, several reasons for the spreading of the language will be depicted. For this purpose, I will make use of a variety of scholarly literature, whereby I will especially focus on well-known linguists, such as Mühlhäusler, Holm or Kulick et al..
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 General Background Information
2.1 Pidgins and Creoles
2.2 Tok Pisin
2.3 Tok Pisin - Historical Background
2.4 Current Status of Tok Pisin
3 Code-Switching in Gapun
3.1 Gapun and its Sociolinguistic Situation
3.2 Code-Switching versus Borrowing
3.3 Everyday Language Use in Gapun
4 Conclusion
Objectives & Research Themes
This paper examines the evolution and increasing influence of Tok Pisin within Papua New Guinea, specifically focusing on its sociolinguistic impact and the mechanisms of code-switching utilized by the community in the village of Gapun.
- Historical development and stabilization of Tok Pisin.
- Sociolinguistic dynamics in the village of Gapun.
- Differentiating between code-switching and borrowing.
- Stylistic and pragmatic functions of code-switching in daily interaction.
- Language shift and the decline of indigenous languages in favor of Tok Pisin.
Excerpts from the Book
3.3 Everyday Language Use in Gapun
After having defined code-switching and borrowing, I will now focus on the explicit language use in Gapun, whereby I will start by describing the general linguistic situation in the village. This is followed by an overview of different ways of code-switching and moreover, by a number of stylistic functions of code-switching in Gapun. This paper is not aiming at portraying each and every example of code-switches that occur in Gapun, but only the most significant cases, in order to gain an inside into the village´s linguistic situation.
In conversations, Gapun´s language community, makes full use of both intra-and intersential code-switching between Tok Pisin and Taiap. None of these languages dominates any domain, genre or topic within the villagers´conversations. The sphere of religion, which is invariably controlled by Tok Pisin, can be regarded as the only exception to this. The villagers´ language choice is mainly affected by the language partner they are communicating with. Conversations in Gapun are used to accommodate others. As for this, “the topics and opinions that one converses about with others are finely adjusted to suit the general mood and opinions of those within hearing range.”(Kulick et al. 1990: 210) As mentioned in (3.1), Gapun men older than 50 years and women belonging to the second generation of villagers are, generally, multilingual speakers. Thus, those who know other indigenous languages often make use of them in conversations with residents of nearby villages. Within these kinds of talks, different indigenous languages may, furthermore, interact with Tok Pisin (cf. Kulick et al. 1990: 210).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of pidgin and creole languages and introduces the research question regarding the influence of Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea.
2 General Background Information: Defines fundamental linguistic concepts such as pidgins and creoles, and details the history, development, and current national status of Tok Pisin.
3 Code-Switching in Gapun: Analyzes the specific sociolinguistic environment of Gapun, contrasts code-switching with borrowing, and examines how villagers use these linguistic tools in daily life.
4 Conclusion: Summarizes the findings on the expansion of Tok Pisin and its role in replacing indigenous languages, while advocating for the preservation of linguistic diversity.
Keywords
Tok Pisin, Papua New Guinea, Code-Switching, Pidgin, Creole, Gapun, Taiap, Sociolinguistics, Language Shift, Borrowing, Linguistic Diversity, Language Contact, Multilingualism, Intra-sential switching, Inter-sential switching.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research?
The work examines the contact language Tok Pisin and its growing dominance in Papua New Guinea, with a special focus on how it influences the daily linguistic practices of the villagers in Gapun.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The paper covers the historical emergence of Tok Pisin, its current status as a national language, the sociolinguistic situation in Gapun, and the mechanics and functions of code-switching between Tok Pisin and the indigenous Taiap language.
What is the central research question?
The study explores whether and to what extent Tok Pisin has gained influence in Papua New Guinea over time and how it affects the survival of local indigenous languages.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author utilizes a qualitative approach based on an analysis of scholarly linguistic literature to provide evidence and arguments regarding language shift and code-switching patterns.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section details the definition of pidgins and creoles, the history of Tok Pisin, the village of Gapun as a case study for language contact, and the rhetorical functions of code-switching in verbal communication.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Tok Pisin, Code-Switching, Papua New Guinea, Gapun, Language Shift, and Sociolinguistics.
What distinguishes Gapun’s sociolinguistic situation?
Gapun is a village where the indigenous language Taiap is currently dying out, being systematically replaced by Tok Pisin in a process that affects different generations differently, with children becoming increasingly monolingual in Tok Pisin.
How does the author define the function of code-switching in Gapun?
Code-switching is used for pragmatic and stylistic functions, such as demonstrating dominance, expressing emphatic agreement, rendering quotations, or highlighting dramatic contrasts during interactions.
Why is the distinction between code-switching and borrowing important here?
It is important because it highlights the difference between using two distinct grammatical systems (code-switching) versus integrating lexical items into a single host language structure (borrowing), a critical factor in how the Taiap language is being eroded.
- Citar trabajo
- Babette Treptow (Autor), 2010, Tok Pisin. With the Focus on Code-Switching, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/154308
