Pidgin English

“ Wherever any tongue serves as a lingua franca for men of various stocks, there is an immediate tendency toward corruption. There is a constant pressure to simplify and to lop off and to reduce to the bare elements. The Pidgin-English of the Chinese coast is an example of what may befall a noble language when it is enslaved to serve many masters, ignorant of its history and careless of its idioms. Mr. Kipling’s earliest tales are some of them almost incomprehensible to readers unacquainted with the vocabulary of the competition-walla ”

“ In all the schools reading and writing in German is compulsory, and the Germans are most scornful about the “pidgin-English”—the universal trade-tongue of all natives everywhere. They want the English Wesleyan missionaries on some islands to learn and teach German. The natives, hot only on every different island, but almost in every village, have different dialects, so that they do not understand each other, and must use one language to communicate with each other and with the white people, and that is pidgin-English. ”

“ These examples show that, as regards grammatical structure, "pidgin" is in the main an imperfect adaptation of our own rules. But the general construction of sentences is essentially Chinese. “Go to the post-office and bring me a letter" would be rendered just as it would be translated in a native dialect: "You savee that post-officee: go looksee have got one chit b'long my; sposee have got you makee bling." The absence of a relative form necessitates the cutting up of all long phrases into short sentences both in Chinese and pidgin English. ”

“ The term may be defined, the science of positions favoring good, and shielding from bad, influences. This is related to the extensive subject of ancestral worship, which would lead me too far from my narrative.
239
PIDGIN ENGLISH.
“Pidgin-English” is a singular form of speech which the Chinese language assumes when the natives are first attempting to use English. Pidgin means business. You are made by it to think of the dialect which we fall into in talking to infants. ”

“ Hoffman Atkinson, author of “A Vocabulary of the Yokohama Dialect,” “that most young men, particularly the gay and handsome ones, generally asked me, about the third day after their arrival in the country, the meaning of the Pidgin-English phrase, ‘You makee too muchee lov-lov-pidgin.’ Investigation always established the fact that p. ”

“ English. It is impossible to make them understand pure English, consequently Europeans, even housekeepers, use pidgin English when addressing the servants. The servants are men, with the exception of the nurses, and possibly the cooks. To the uninitiated it sounds absurd to hear men and women addressing servants and merchants in the same idiotic language with which fond parents usually cuddle their offspring; but even more laughable is it to hear men swear in "pigeon English," at an unkind or unruly servant. ”

“ Not all the observers were familiar with the languages but had to use the assistance of interpreters or else had to communicate with the people they questioned in the auxiliary language of pidgin-English. Savages are not communicative about the most intimate affairs of their culture and unburden themselves only to those foreigners who have passed many years in their midst. ”

“ We have already met with the effects of playfulness in one of the chapters devoted to children (p. 148) : here we shall see that the same tendency is also powerful in the language of grown-up people, though most among young people. There is a certain exuberance which will not rest contented with traditional expressions, but finds amusement in the creation and propagation of new words and in attaching new meanings to old words: this is the exact opposite of that linguistic poverty which we found was at the bottom of such minimum languages as Pidgin-English. ”

“ Jack De Vinne thought Bertha Renville was beautiful, and she was, judged by the English standard. She was tall and lithe, perfect in form; with glossy hair of a golden tint; blue eyes; cheeks with a touch of pink that enhanced their whiteness, and a Cupid’s bow of a mouth, which was usually the home of a bewitching smile. Such a woman as men become heroes for; such a woman, for love of whom, men have died in misery.
When the train drew up at the little station, Jack at once caught sight of Clarence’s smiling face, and a moment later he was the recipient of a hearty greeting. ”

“ Teaching American children to talk English is one thing, but teaching French Canadians, Poles, Germans, Russians, Italians, and Greeks was quite a different proposition.”
“And yet it is a most important work,” said Quincy—“making good citizens from these various nationalities. America, to-day, is like a large garden, with a great variety of flowers from foreign stalks.” ”

“ The most popular and probably the most correct derivation is from the word "business" which on the lips of a Chinaman utterly ignorant of English does sound something like "pidgin." But I must confess that this seems to me a rather far fetched origin though I cannot suggest anything better: nor, so far as I am aware, can any one else.
As regards the formation of this queer dialect we find less difficulty in arriving at a conclusion.
Of the natural tendency of language to assimilate words from sources foreign to its own origin we have numerous examples in everyday life. ”

“ Then she strayed into a "valse" by Chopin, and followed it with a dashing galop by some unknown composer. "She is a classical musician," said Quincy to himself, as the first bars of a Rhapsodic Hongroise by Liszt fell upon his ear. "I hope she knows some of the old English ballads and the best of the popular songs," thought Quincy. ”

“ With a convulsive sob she turned and fled from the room.
“When a woman says she won’t, she often will,” soliloquised Pascal, as he arose and went to the window from which Vivienne had looked. “My father left fine estates. How could a sensible man make such a foolish will?” ”

“ You are very impudent for a servant. I will have one if I want to! You are nothing but an old woman. What do you know about a gentleman’s affairs? Wasn’t I bodyguard to Conrad, Pascal’s father?”
“You mean Pascal’s grandfather, Joseph. How you do get things mixed up!”
“Here is your cane, Manassa,” said Vivienne, softly.
The old man took it, forgetting to thank her for{225} her kindness, and stamped across the floor to the door which led to the garden. With his hand upon the latch, he turned, and casting a spiteful glance upon Clarine, ejaculated:
“I will have a wife if I want one!” ”

“ There are men who have greater vices, but they conceal them from the public gaze. To oblige you, however, I will forego the pleasure it gives me,” and he threw it into the fireplace.
The father lost no time in bringing the subject he had in mind to his son’s attention.
“You know I am a business man, Clarence, and what I’ve got to say I say right out. I have said it before and to-night I am going to say it again. I want you to marry Bertha Renville.” ”

“ Julien was out all night. What will the end be?”
“Oh, he’ll get married some time and settle down.”
“And who would have him—a drunkard? I should pity her from the bottom of my heart.”
“You look at the matter too seriously,” said the Count. “Most men are drunkards—some with wine, some with women, but more with love. I was talking to your brother Pascal yesterday about our future.”
Vivienne clasped her hands and looked into his face, appealingly.
“We can have no future together, Count Mont d’Oro; I do not love you.” ”

“ I do not love the Count and I will not marry him.”
“No, no!” cried Clarine. “She shall not be compelled to marry a man whom she does not love.”
The interposition of Vivienne’s ally raised Pascal’s latent anger to a high pitch.
“Clarine,” he cried, “I command you not to meddle with matters which do not concern you! I act in her father’s stead, and it is my right and my duty to see her properly married and settled in life. For that reason, I have decided that Count Mont d’Oro shall be a guest, but I will not allow Lieutenant Duquesne to be present.” ”

“ My young man, I do not know what you are up to and the man they call Cromillian, but you evidently do not know what you are up to any more than I do. It is a good maxim, when you find a trail to follow it and trust to luck for the result. I shall probably get back to town before the Count sends for me to go to the house. I am sure he is a rascal at heart; but, if I can’t keep her from marrying Mr. Jack De Vinne I’ll know the reason why.”
The next morning, Lieutenant Duquesne went to Jack’s room and knocked. ”

“ PREFACE TO PYGMALION.
A Professor of Phonetics.
As will be seen later on, Pygmalion needs, not a preface, but a sequel, which I have supplied in its due place. The English have no respect for their language, and will not teach their children to speak it. They spell it so abominably that no man can teach himself what it sounds like. It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him. German and Spanish are accessible to foreigners: English is not accessible even to Englishmen. ”

“ The prisoners had gone back to the corner beneath the window, for the friendly ray of light made the dungeon seem less like a tomb.
Vivienne sprang to her feet. “Yes, Pascal, I am here,” she cried, joyfully, “and Vandemar is so strong now that he can walk.”
“Come here to the door,” said Pascal.
“What is it?” she asked, when she reached it.
“Come with me,” said her brother.
“I will bring Vandemar.”
“No,” said Pascal, “if you come out you shall come alone. You must renounce that man.”
“Then I will not come,” said Vivienne, positively. “I love him. We will either live together or die together.” ”

“ Well, I have done worse things than open a letter addressed to another man.” As he spoke he broke the seal and read:
“My dear Mr. De Vinne:
“I am very sorry to hear of the sudden death of your brother, and you have my deepest sympathy in your affliction. I came here with Mrs. Glynne, the wife of Mr. Clarence Glynne, the son of my guardian. You have, no doubt, heard that our little craft was run down{99} in the Channel by a large vessel. By God’s providence we escaped. The vessel was under orders to proceed at once to Marseilles, and we could not land until they reached there. ”

“ There is no book in our literature on which we would so readily stake the fame of the old, unpolluted, English language,” as the Pilgrim’s Progress; “no book which shows, so well, how rich that language is in its own proper wealth, and how little it has been improved by all that it has borrowed.” “Though there were many clever men in England, during the latter half of the seventeenth century, there were only two great creative minds. ”

“ Oh, Vandemar, Vandemar, I will not die!{289} There is a kind soul in this house, for I hear the laughter of children. A mother’s heart is always open to pity.”
A man servant appeared at the door. “What is your business here, my good woman?”
“Oh, sir, I am very hungry. Give me some food and Heaven will bless you!”
“My mistress is sick,” said the man, “but I will send the housekeeper to you.”
“Thank you; you are very kind.” Vivienne leaned against the door-post. “I—I cannot stand; my strength is deserting me.” As she sank on the doorstep, a woman appeared. ”

“ Any one who attempts to render Pindar, with tolerable closeness, into readable English, will soon find that he has undertaken an extremely difficult, not to say a formidable task. It would be hard to conceive any two forms of literature more widely different than the chivalrous, sententious, highly florid style of the Greek lyric poet, and the average prose-writings of our own times and country. If we try to translate a dozen lines of Pindar very literally, and word for word, we shall too often obtain a result that reads very like downright nonsense. ”

“ Women are at a{44} great disadvantage, on account of their dress, in all sports and games.”
“Well,” said Jack, “if you object to a voyage on the briny deep, what do you say to a land trip? I have no doubt Mr. Glynne has a turnout in his stable. Do you know I am a great admirer of the poet Gray? You know he is buried at Stoke Pogis, not very far from here. I should be delighted to go there, and it will add greatly to my pleasure if you will accompany me.”
Bertha smiled archly. “I have heard that sailors make very poor landsmen and know very little about horses.” ”

“ Still, let any one refer to that particular part of it, and, provided that his taste is a correct one, he will not fail to be struck with the deteriorating effect which Signor Piccini’s broken English and Italian loquacity have produced on the spirit of the original. Nothing is more characteristic of the real Mr. Punch than the laconic manner in which he expresses himself, and nothing at the same time is more English. ”

“ Perhaps they have met and, in the heat of passion, have fought. It may be that either Jack or Mr. Glynne is dead, and sometimes the horrible thought comes to me that their last meeting ended in the death of both. I am filled with a dread which I cannot express. The Countess is kind to me, but we two weak women are virtually defenceless. Oh, my dear, good friend, will this terrible uncertainty ever end? Has the future any happiness in store for me?{285}”
CHAPTER XXVII.
TO THE RESCUE! ”

“ You have no right to have any secrets from your wife. How can a man love, honour, and obey his wife if he keeps a secret all to himself? Now, Clarence, dear, what is the secret?”
“I will whisper it to you, Jennie. Bertha isn’t poor at all; she is worth forty thousand pounds in her own right, but my father is her guardian and, according to her father’s will, the governor has a right to hold on to the property until she marries, and, of course, he does not want her to marry any one—except me. ”