Laycock's Pidgin, And Other Kinds

Sir, —We wish to point out that we, as a business firm, disagree strongly with Dr. Don Laycock’s article, “It was a particularly great year for Pidgin” (P/M, Jan., 1970, p. 45).

As you yourself call Dr. Laycock “one academic”, this supports our theory that so-called “academics” are not assisting the development of this territory one iota. Dr. Laycock’s down-to-earth contact with New Guineans would be negligible and yet he sets himself up as some sort of arm-chair authority on Pidgin.

Howard Swinford Thomas’ book Learning Pidgin put out by the ABC, used in conjunction with regular morning broadcasts has proven so popular that the ABC has announced that they will be rebroadcast in the new year of 1971.

The statements in the booklet about Afrikaans and Bahasa Indonesia are quite true. For example, in Afrikaans, where a new article or building or machine, etc., has been introduced into modern society, the English word for this item is adopted as Afrikaans.

Perhaps Dr. Laycock, apart from criticising, could offer an alternative definition of kes bilong singaut sapos yu paitimem long ban, for a piano.

The word “piano” is now used in modern Pidgin for piano but, then, this is used only by people who have seen a piano and actually know what a piano is.

Mike Thomas’ knowledge of Pidgin has assisted many Europeans and Papuans to get a basic understanding of the language, and the ABC’s co operation can only be admired. They have achieved far more in 12 months than any other book has achieved since its inception. Nobody can learn a language from a dictionary.

No person or organisation can claim to be an authority on Pidgin.

A great deal of interpretation rests with the individual alone as no one has really set a precedent in interpre tation. Both Murphy’s and Mihalic’s “dictionaries” are only their personal views on interpretation, who is the authority to either correct them or offer advice to them? The same ap plies to other interpreters including Thomas.

Dr. Laycock’s views on interpreta tion of certain passages in his article have proved quite a giggling point among old hands in Madang. To suggest that Meri bilong mi i laikim ol stori bilong man meri pren wantaim means “My wife likes stories about men and women sleeping to

gether" is quite hilarious. To give a tactful impression of men and women sleeping together, only the word pilei could be used; if a definite meaning of intercourse is to be assumed, then the word kaup would replace pilei. Pren simply means “friend” and nothing else.

Following this point, let us trans late yu no ken kirapim man i slip.

This quite clearly means “do not dis turb”, not as Dr. Laycock would suggest “too obscene that it cannot even be translated here”.

Kirapim does not mean kuapim —to have intercourse—but simply “get up” or to “awaken”. It would appear that these phrases interest Dr.

Laycock greatly.

Mixmaster bilong Jesus Christ —not even written as Pidgin—is not under stood by New Guineans. It has emerged as a standing joke among old-time Europeans around the bars.

Even bush village natives use the word helikopta for helicopter, as these machines are now common in the territory and the natives identify the word with something that they can see. Helikopta bilong misis would be interpreted as a “helicopter with a female pilot”.

R. Boivan,

E. Witika,

I. Savin.

Arti Enterprises.

Madang, TPNG.

Sir—First of all, thanks for the magazine which I get regularly in Germany and which I read with great joy. Having lived in New Guinea as a missionary for several years it keeps me well informed about what’s going on there.

In your last article on Pidgin ( PIM , Dec. p. 34) and the sug gested standardisation of that lang uage, I agree with Father Mihalic that Pidgin is growing almost daily.

The vocabulary of the normally used words I would estimate at 2,000 words, 17 per cent, of them of non- English derivation—lBo words are of Pacific Islands’ origin, 80 of Mediterranean origin, not counting all the special religious expressions, and about 150 words of a German or Anglo-German origin.

The total capacity of the language, however, is at least threefold the basic words. Word combinations lead to new meanings and enlarge the ability of expression to reasonable levels.

The standardisation af orthography

should really be no insurmountable problem since the Pidgin New Testament has been promoted, ac cepted and circulated in thousands of copies all over the islands in Melanesia. In addition to the Testa ment, the Kristen Press in Madang has published a dictionary which is completely up-to-date and in accord with the authorised neo-Melanesian orthography.

This pocket book apparently has slipped your attention, but since it is topical and valuable in the present situation and the latest product on the market, it should be mentioned.

It is called the Neo-Melanesian Dictionary and sells at 51.50 at the Christian Book Centre, P.O. Box 222. Madang. The Pidgin words have English and German translations and short, illustrating sentences.

Friedrich Steinbauer.

Post Igensdorf, West Germany.

Sir,—I have just read Dr. Don Laycock’s article on Pidgin in your January issue, in which he admonishes Europeans who purport to know their Pidgin onions to “go back to school and re-learn from those whose language it has truly become.”

One paragraph on page 48, parti cularly caught my eye. This refers to a hotel in Port Moresby which put signs on its doors purporting to say in Pidgin, “Do not disturb”— but, to quote, “the Pidgin version (You no ken kirapim man i slip ) is so obscene that it cannot be trans lated here”.

The word, kirapim or girapim, has many applications and in 18 years of speaking Pidgin I have never known it to be regarded as obscene or offensive. For example one might direct a native to start the car engine, or kirapim hengin bilong kar; alternatively, do not start the car engine, or yu noken kirapim hengin bilong kar.

Directives such as these could hardly be considered obscene. On the other hand, if the word goapim were substituted for kirapim, then the implication would be entirely different, and the sign on the hotel door could, indeed, be considered obscene.

So it might appear that even the experts could gain by “going back to school to re-learn from those whose language it has truly become”.

G. B. Childs.

Soraken Estate, Bougainville.

O Enough’s enough. No more on this subject, please.