pidgin English

Or Pidgin English

noun

a pidgin language based on English formerly used in commerce in Chinese ports.
a similar language used in other areas, such as Papua New Guinea (where it has semiofficial status) and parts of West Africa.

pidgin English

noun

a pidgin in which one of the languages involved is English

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Word History and Origins

Origin of pidgin English¹

1820–30; pidgin, pigeon < Chinese Pidgin English: business, affair; etymology uncertain, but often alleged to be Chin pronunciation of business

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Give the Gungan some gas to go with that pidgin English and anything could happen.

From

My editor appreciated the authenticity right from the start, including the nuanced Hawaiian Pidgin English some of my characters speak, and the value-added glossary I provided at the end.

From

In Obasi’s narrative, spoken in Pidgin English and set in a fictional West African seaside community called Iyi, Mami Wata’s sway over a struggling people is called into question vocally, then violently.

From

A man of the people, he knew his audience and tended to speak in Pidgin English.

From

Interviewed about her career, her son Michael Hood told Entertainment Weekly that he once asked her why she would agree to do roles in pidgin English.

From

pidgin pidginize

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