Learn basic Tok Pisin/Bislama & Solomon Pijin English!
(1,500+ Indigenous languages inside The Melanesian State
of South-Western Pacific. -We supply 20% of the
World/Universal languages! -We use more than 7 common
languages to communicate with the outside world)
- Papua New Guinea’s Tok Pisin is the best and still
traditional. -Solomon’s Pidgin English and Vanuatu
Bislama Mmmm! Sad but these days 97% English words?
WELKAM ONBOARD AND PLEASE ENJOY!
Mi PhilippeWT.)
1) Tok Pisin: Papua New Guinea ( 867+ Indigenous
languages) Tok Pisin is one of the two major lingua
franca of Papua New Guinea. Throughout PNG, Speakers of
Tok Pisin can now be encountered increasingly in areas
which have otherwise been the exclusive realm of Hiri
Motu, the other major lingua franca of the area.The
language has been gaining tremendously in importance and
prestige during the last few years. It always has been,
and continues to be, te major means of intercommuication
amongst Papuans and New Guineans who have no other
language in common. It has been used for a long time
throughout Papua New Guinea for administrative purpose,
but its importance has been greatly enhanced through its
becoming the languages of discussion in the majority of
local government councils and Parliament. Tok Pisin is
also the unofficial National Language of PNG.
Tok Pisin is a pidgin
language whose vocabulary is derived from, but by no
means identical with, English to the extent of 70-80
percent, with 15-20 percent based on indigenous
languages, but mainly Tolai of northern New Britain, and
5 percent on other languages, predominantly German. Its
structure is many wways un-English and is patterned on
that of the Austronesian languages of South-Western
Pacific.
1) Bislama: Vanuatu (113+ Indiginous Languages)
Bislama is the national language of the Republic of
Vanuatu, an independent state in South West Pacific.
Vanuatu’s neighbours to the north-west are the Solomon
islands, Autonoumous Bouganville Island and Papau New
Guinea, to the South New Caledonia and the east the Fiji
islands.
Bislama is an English-based pidgin language which is
spoken throughout the archipelago as a lingua franca, a
common tongue which ensures communication between the
many different language communities indigenous to this
island group. There are more than one hundred distinct
and separate languages spoken in Vanuatu by
approximately 130.000 people. This total excludes the
European languages English and French.In statistical
terms-there is a distinct language for every 1200
inhabitants in Vanuatu,which is one of the highest, if
not the highest density in the world. It is not
surprising, therefore,that a common language should
develop in Vanuatu, one which would ensure nationawide
communication.
English and French are spoken and understood by many
Ni-Vanuatu, it is rare for a Ni-Vanuatu to speak and
understand both English and French outside the Towns.
Bislama is proclaimed the National Language of the
republic in the countries constituation.
Solomon’s Pidgin English: Solomon Islands
( Approximately 87 distinct indigenous languages)
The Solomon Islands is
the only Melanesian Island Nation-
That has a large population of MINORITY AND DIASPORA of
both Micronesians and Polynesians of the Pacific (AQUA
Continent!). 94 per cent is MELANESIAN/2% MICRONESIANS
living on- near Honiara and Gizo/
2% POLYNESIANS living on-Renell,Bellona,Sikiana,Ontong
Java, The reef islands,Anuta and Tikopia/
2% Caucasians/Asians/Indians/Africans & Others.
Solomons Pidgin takes its vocabulary largely from
English, though the grammar is Melanesian.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
I will be using a few extracts from A new Course in Tok
Pisin (New Guinea Pidgin 1985) Tom Dutton in
collaboration with Dick Thomas. (ANU)
(If
you would like a copy of this book? Please email me
philippe@voiceofmelanesia.com for more information)
INTRODUCTION:
In this unit we shall be focusing on:
1) how to talk about yourself and others using the Tok
Pisin pronouns mi,yu,em,etc.; 2)how to recognise
different sorts of action words or verbs in Tok Pisin,
and something about their nature and use; 3)how to say
or ask where something is, 4)how to express in order to
in Tok Pisin. These points will be introduced in the
conversation that follow and will be discussed in more
detail in the grammatical sections that follow
them.Other things that are worth knowing are drawn to
your attention in footnotes to the conversations and
grammatical sections.
TOK PISIN: Papua NiuGini Conversations.
1) Yu go we? LESSON # 1
Kakiri I meri bilong Madang.Em I wokabaut long rot. Em I
lukim wantok.Em i tok gude long en.
(Kakiri is a woman from Madang.She walks along the road.
She sees a friend. she greets her)
KAKIRI: E wantok, yu go we? (Heh friend,where are you
going)
WANTOK: Mi go long Boroko (I’m off to Boroko)
KAKIRI: Bilong wanem? (What for?)
WANTOK: Mi go bilong kisim mane long beng (I’m going to
get money from the bank)
KAKIRI: Oke, yu go (Okay see you)
WANTOK: Yes, lukim yu. (Yes see you.)
BISLAMA:Vanuatu
1) Yu ko wea?
Kakiri hemi wan woman Madang.Hemi wokabaut long rot.Hemi
luk wan fren blong hem.Hemi tallem allo.
KAKIRI: Eh fren, yu ko wea?
FREN: Bae mi ko long Boroko
KAKIRI: Blong mekem wanem?
FREN: Mi ko blong karem mani long bank.
KAKIRI: Alle yu ko
FREN: Alle tata.
(Translation par Philippe)
SOLOMON PIDGIN ENGLISH:
1.Yu go long where?
kakiri one fala woman Madang.hem walkabout lond road and
hem lookem friend blong hem so hem greetem hem.
KAKIRI: E friend (wantok) yu go long wea?
WANTOK: Mi go long Boroko
KAKIRI: For what?
WANTOK: Mi go takem money from bank
KAKIRI: Oke lookem you
WANTOK; Ya lookem you
(Translation par Rob Wilikai)
BAU FIJIAN: (2ways of saying the same story board in Bau!
)
O kakiri na yalewa mai Madang, taubale tiko na gau ni
sala,sa raica e dua na nona i tau,sa vabula sara vua. or
O Kakiri e marama ni Madang.Ena nona a taubale voli e
gaunisala ena dua na siga e rau sota sara kei na dua na
nona i tau ka rau vei vakabula taki sara.
KAKIRI: Noqu-i-tau, o lako vei? or O lako tiko evei??
NOQU-I-TAU: Au lako ki Boroko or Au lako tiko i Boroko
KAKIRI: Baleta na cava? or A cava o lai cakava?
NOQU-I-TAU: Au lako kau lavo mai na baqe. or Au lai tara
i lavo mada i na bage.
KAKIRI: Ok! Sota tale or Vinaka moce
NOQU-I-TAU: Io! Sota tale. or Io Moce.
(Translation par Fi Howard)
BAHASA-Indonesia (West papua/Malukus/Sumba/East Timor)
Coming soon!!
FRENCH- (Vanuatu and New caledonia)
Coming soon!!
MAKURAAN: Vanuatu Shefa Province (My Fathers Indigenous
Language)
1) Kopahroh ombea?
Ke Kakiri mina vitariki Madang etaan.No oveih nahelemati
atia looh na metanini etaan.
KAKIRI: Met kopahroh ombea?
MET: Nimbahroh Boroko
KAKIRI: Nahevea kopahroh kombohong?
MET: Nimbahroh ni hala navaat susum etaan na bank.
KAKIRI: Itah kain Met korow
MET: Itah kain.
(Translation par PhilippeWT)
PLEASE EXPLAIN?
1.The little practice i illustrated in this sentence is
an important element in Tok Pisin. It cannot be
translated into English although it originally came from
English he. As will be seen in the conversaations that
follow it is generally used (although not decreasingly
so as will be seen laater) after the pronounce
corresponding to he, she,it,you (pl),they and other
subjects of sentences,such as man( a man),wantok (friend),ol
tambu (inlaws).
2.Long and bilong ( which is introduced in the first
sentence of this conversation) are two of the most
frequently used words in Tok Pisin. They correspond to
such English words as to,in,at,about,from,on,for.They
are now generally shortened to lo and blo.In this unit
the use of bilong meaning in order to is discusssed and
drilled.
3.Wantok - Means one language.It was originally used to
refer to anyone speaking the same language as
oneself.However. it is now used to refer to any friend
or acquaintance as well.
4.Long en is a common variant of long em
5.Note that the question word we come at the end of the
sentence unlike where in English
6.Boroko- A suburb of Port Moresby (Papua NiuGini)
7.Bilong wanem literally means for what.many speakers
use long wanem for this.
8.Normally one answers a bilong wanem question with
bilong for.
9.Note beng often pronounced benk under the influence of
English (Modern face of Tok Pisin)
10.Lukim yu is the modern way of saying cheerio.straight
translation of English see you.
LESSON # 2 Papua NiuGinis TOK PISIN:
“Mi sindaun nating” Dogare i go long
ples. Em i bungim wanpela lapun man na em i tok gude
long em.
( Dogare went to a village.He met an old man and greeted
him)
DOGARE: A, Lapun, yu stap a? -------- Ah, Old man, good
day!
LAPUN: Yes, mi stap -------- Yes, good day.
DOGARE: Yu mekim wanem? -------- What are you doing?
LAPUN: Nogat, mi sindaun nating tasol. Yu go we?---
Nothing. I’m just sitting down.where are you off to?
DOGARE:Mi kam bilong lukim ples tasol------- I’m just
coming to have a look at the village.
LAPUN: Yu stap we nay u kam? ---------- Where did you
come from?
DOGARE:Mi stap long Waigani. -------- Im from Waigani
LAPUN:Orait, yu go.Mi stap.Apinun. --------- Okay, off
you go. Good afternoon!
DOGARE: Yes, apinun. ---------- Yes, good afternoon.
VANUATU ’S BISLAMA:
2: Mi sitaon nomo.
Dogare i ko long wan vilij, nao hemi mitim wan olfala
man mo itallem allo long hem.
DOGARE: Eh, Olfala yu orait?
OLFALA: Yes mi orait.
DOGARE: Yu stap mekem wanem?
OLFALA: Nating, mi sitaon nomo istap.Yu go wea?
DOGARE: Mi kam blong luk vilij nomo.
OLFALA: Yu kam wea?
DOGARE: Mi kam long Waigani.
OLFALA: Alle yu ko, bae mi sitaon istap, tata.
DOGARE: Alle Tata.
(Translation par PhilippeWT)
SOLOMON Islands Pidgin: Translation par Rob
Wilikai-Solomons.
ME JUST SIT DOWN NOMORE.
Dogare go long one fala village and meetem one fala old
man and hem greetem hem.
DOGARE: E good fala day old man
OLD MAN: Good fala day
DOGARE: Wanem nao yu doim?
OLD MAN: No anything nomore,me just sit down nomore, yu
go long where?
DOGARE:Me just come for look look long village
OLDMAN: Where nao you come from?
DOGARE: Me come from Waigani
OLD MAN: Ok you save go, good fala afternoon.
DOGARE: Ya good fala afternoon.
FIJIAN BAU LANGUAGE:
Ena nona lako tiko kina dua na koro o Dogare, e a sotava
e dua na kena turaga ka rau vei vakabula taki sara.
DOGARE: Na qase, bula!
NA QASE: Io, bula
DOGARE: Na cava sa caka tiko qori?
NA QASE: Sega,dadabe tikoga. O lako tiko ivei?
DOGARE: Au mai raica mada na koro.
NA QASE: O lako tiko mai vei?
DOGARE: Mai Waigani.
NA QASE: Vinaka, gole mada, moce
DOGARE: Io, moce
(Translation par Fi Howard)
BAHASA- Indonesia (West Papua/Malukus/Sumba/East Timor)
Coming soon!
FRENCH- (Vanuatu & New caledonia)
Coming soon!
MAKURAAN- SHEFA/VANUATU:
2- “Ni arah etan ati andok”
Dogare indo na tokeanetaan, atia looh na omatih etaan,
ane mombetong eleat awoh mikin
DOGARE: Ah, Omatih,eleat awoh!
OMATIH: Eleat awoh!
DOGARE: Nahevea kono kombohong? OMATIH: Teninokomboh
naloombot etaanieh,Ni arah etan
ati andok. Keni kain kobahroh ombea?
DOGARE: Keino nindalindaliu ati, nibahrah nilooh
natokean.
OMATIH: Ko mwelombeh akondah ietoong?
DOGARE: Ni mewl Waigani aong.
OMATIH:Amboh,kain korow,ndaravih awoho
DOGARE: Kain ndarivih awoho.
(Translation par PhilippeWT)
Please Explain??
1)The traditional greeting in Tok Pisin used to be of
the form You've come,have you? or you 're there,are you?
or you're going, are you?The tag a in the above greeting
is a question tag that expects the answer yes.
2)Notice that the question word wanem (wonem) what comes
at the end of the setence,unlike english what.
3)Nogat normal Tok Pisin word for no in answer to a
question,but it may be used, as here, to mean
nowhere,nothing.
4)Sindaun nating literally means to sit down for no
reason or no result.Nating can be used with similar
meaning with other action words or verbs,e.g mi stap
nating. I'm unemployed or mi sik nating, I got sick for
no (obvious) reason.
5) Tasol comes from English, that's all but used in Tok
Pisin to mean only and but.
6)Yu stap we na yu kam? means where were you and you
come?
7)Waigani is a suburb of Port Moresby.
