Official In New Guinea.

Plea That “Pidgin” Be Made

Written for “The Pacific Islands Monthly ” by “ Malakuna.”

IN spite of the official encouragement of the use of English and the rather pathetic efforts of the Administration to teach it in the Government schools — the missions refused the suggestion of Administration to grant a subsidy to those missionary schools that included English in the curriculum —“Pidgin,” the picturesque “lingua franca” of the Pa cific, which has attained its most graphic and useful form here in the Territory of New Guinea (due largely to German in fluence in the early days of the colony), continues to gain ground.

It has spread all over the Territory where European penetration has taken place, and where “boys” returning from periods of labour on plantations in other districts, have brought it back to their homes. Every District Officer knows its usefulness.

Even those few of us who have mas tered a native tongue here know that there is absolute need for a common means of communication since one dis trict (Kavieng in New Ireland) for in stance) may represent half a dozen al most unrelated dialects. Father Kirsch baum, of the Sepik River, and one of the missionaries of Manus, neither of whom can be accused of being dilatory in the study of and attitude towards native so cial organisation and linguistics, use it in a phoneticized form in their mission ary work. And it is remarkable how quickly, on a phonetic basis, “boys” learn to write pidgin.

The great advantage of accepting “Pidgin” as an official medium and teaching it lies in the fact that a stand ardised form would be developed throughout the whole Territory. The teaching of English as a universal lan

guage here is acknowledged even by teachers as hopeless; the adoption of any one of the innumerable native dia lects is impracticable; “Pidgin” has proved by its popularity its claim to acceptance; nothing but pig-headedness on the part of the Administration and education authorities holds its official progress back. Why can’t we be honest about the thing?

I recently heard a missionary preach for nearly an hour to an assembled group of New Ireland natives —in the Blanche Bay dialect, that is the official language of the Mission. Not 20 per cent, of his hearers —hundreds were pre sent in the open air for the annual Waratabar gathering—understood fully the sermon, in spite of the dramatic nature of its presentation and the facility of the missionary in the dialect he was using.

To show the usefulness and practic ability of “Pidgin,” here is a report of a birth, written in “Pidgin” and despatched to the local District Office by a boy who had been taught phonetic script: Uan (one) fala (fellow) pikinini (child —baby) olikarim (the term “all ’e carry ’im” represented phonetically, meaning “carried” or “born”) log

(along) mun (moon-month) Augus

(August) log 5, 1932.

Naen (name) blog (belong) pikinini Mogan. Papa (father) blog em (him) Komarag. Mama blog em Nunuat.

Every official can testify to the vari ety of uses that “Pidgin” can be put to.

When will we recognise the inevitable, and drop all our administrative and lin guistic snobbishness? Has no one in the Territory read anything of the of ficial doings in Africa?