pidgin

Everyday

1. A simple language made up when people who speak different languages need to talk, often for trade, mixing words from both. tree →
2. (informal) Broken or very simple speech in a language you do not know well: «pidgin French». tree →

In the lessons

In language and history lessons: pidgins grew up in ports and plantations. When children grow up speaking a pidgin as their first language, it becomes a full language called a creole. Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea and Nigerian Pidgin are well-known examples spoken by millions.

Examples

• A pidgin has a small vocabulary and simple grammar. tree →
• Nigerian Pidgin is spoken by millions of people. tree →
• Tok Pisin began as a pidgin and is now an official language of Papua New Guinea. tree →
• On holiday, Dad got by with pidgin Spanish. tree →
• Traders made a pidgin so they could buy and sell. tree →
• When a pidgin becomes a first language, it is called a creole. tree →

Note

Homophone trap: «pidgin» (language) and «pigeon» (bird) sound the same. Countable for a particular language; uncountable for the kind of speech. Calling someone's speech «pidgin» can sound rude; pidgins and creoles are real languages with their own rules.