pidgin English

American  

Or Pidgin English

noun

1. a pidgin language based on English formerly used in commerce in Chinese ports.

2. a similar language used in other areas, such as Papua New Guinea (where it has semiofficial status) and parts of West Africa.

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pidgin English British  

noun

1. a pidgin in which one of the languages involved is English

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Etymology

Origin of pidgin English

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

Example Sentences

They chatted with him about “one lege,” alternatively spelled “one legge,” which Tachie-Menson described as an African dance whose name is derived from pidgin English.

From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2022

Sometimes called pidgin English, the language is widely used and understood across regions and ethnic groups in the nation of 200 million people, although most books and newspapers on sale in Nigeria are in English.

From Reuters • Jul. 14, 2021

While walking through a mall in Accra, he overheard a couple chatting in the pidgin English spoken by Cameroon’s Anglophone population and immediately introduced himself.

From The Verge • Sep. 8, 2020

He reflected their ability to switch from simple English, to bombast, to peer-group slang, to pidgin English and native language.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2020

The writing is in pidgin English and Spanish and Mandarin and then languages I have never seen.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee