pidgin

[ pij-uhn ]

noun

1. an auxiliary language that has come into existence through the attempts by the speakers of two or more different languages to communicate and that is primarily a simplified form of one of the languages, with a reduced vocabulary and grammatical structure and considerable variation in pronunciation.
2. (loosely) any simplified or broken form of a language, especially when used for communication between speakers of different languages.

pidgin

/ ˈpɪdʒɪn /

noun

1. a language made up of elements of two or more other languages and used for contacts, esp trading contacts, between the speakers of other languages. Unlike creoles, pidgins do not constitute the mother tongue of any speech community

Word History and Origins

Origin of pidgin¹

First recorded in 1875–80; extracted from pidgin English

Word History and Origins

Origin of pidgin¹

C19: perhaps from Chinese pronunciation of English business

Example Sentences

Trying to free herself, she began to write in Hawaiian pidgin, a language she both grew up surrounded by and was told by others — including her mother — to avoid out in the world.

From Los Angeles Times

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 Seattle Times

The dialogue in both sections, sprinkled like parsley with pidgin Yiddish and Hebrew prayer, has a secondhand aura that is also unconvincing.

From New York Times

There are versions in local pidgin English, Hausa, Kanuri and Fulani.

From Reuters

"I can't relate with the message in Afrobeats but it's entertaining, I love the rhythm, the pidgin accent and I find them genuinely cultural - you can tell this is distinctly African."

From BBC

Related Words

• argot
• jargon
• lingo
• patois
• vernacular