Etymology

The word is said to be derived from the Chinese pronunciation of the English word business. Likely the origins lie in the exclusively-Cantonese term which means establishing a good business relationship. Scholars though dispute this derivation of the word "pidgin", and suggest alternative etymologies since it was known also as "Pigeon English" in reference to imagery of the carrier pigeon. Unfortunately there exists no historical evidence for the term's origins to prove any suggestion.

Creation of Pidgins

The creation of a pidgin usually requires:

· Prolonged, regular contact between the different language communities

· A need to communicate between them

· An absence of (or absence of widespread proficiency in) a widespread, accessible interlanguage.

Also, Keith Whinnom (in Hymes 1971) suggests that pidgins need three languages to form, with one (the superstrate) being clearly dominant over the others.

Common Traits among Pidgins

Since a Pidgin strives to be a simple and effective form of communication, the grammar, phonology, et cetera, are as simple as possible, and usually consist of:

· A Subject-Verb-Object word order in a sentence

· No codas within syllables (Syllables consist of a vowel, with an optional initial consonant)

· Basic vowels, like /a/ /i/ /u/ /e/ /o/

· Separate words that indicate tense, usually before the verb

· Words are repeated twice to represent plurals, superlatives, and other parts of speech that represent the concept being increased

Caribbean Pidgins

Caribbean pidgins are the result of colonialism. As tropical islands were colonised their society was restructured, with a ruling minority of some European nation and a large mass of non-European laborers. The laborers, natives, slaves or cheap immigrant workers, would often come from many different language groups and would need to communicate. This led to the development of pidgins.