Pijin is an English-based creole spoken in the Solomon Islands. In 1999 there were about 307,000 speakers of Pijin, including 24,400 who speak it as a native language. Pijin is also known as Solomons Pidgin, Neo-Solomonic or Kanaka and is closely related to Tok Pisin, Bislama and Torres Strait Creole.
During the 19th century an English-based pidgin developed among Melanesian islanders working in sugar cane plantations in Queensland, Samoa, Fiji and New Caledonia. It was during this time that some 13,000 Solomon Islanders were taken to work in plantations in Australia. They used the pidgin, which was known as Kanaka, and took it back to the Solomon Islands with them when they were forcefully repatriated in the early 20th century.
Solomon Islands Pidgin or Pijin developed into a distinct language and became the lingua franca of the Solomon Islands, however the orthography and grammar have yet to be standardised.
Evri man en mere olketa born frii en ikwol lo digniti en raits blo olketa. Olketa evriwan olketa garem maeni fo tingting en olketa sapos fo treatim isada wittim spirit blo bradahood.
A recording of this text by Gideon Roxbe, recorded by Moshe Ash
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another
in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Information about Pijin | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Information about Pijin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pijin_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/pis
https://solomonislandspidgin.com/
https://worldwithlittleworlds.com/2017/07/07/all-about-solomon-islands-pijin-or-how-i-learned-a-language-in-two-weeks/
Betawi, Bislama, Cape Verdean Creole, Chavacano, Chinook Jargon, Dominican Creole French, Fanagalo, French Guianese Creole, Guadeloupean Creole, Guinea-Bissau Creole, Haitian Creole, Jamaican, Kituba, Manado Malay, Mauritian Creole, Nagamese, Ndyuka, Norfuk, Nubi, Palenquero, Papiamento, Pijin, Réunion Creole, Sango, Saramaccan, Seychelles Creole, Sierra Leonean Creole, Singlish, Sranan, Saint Lucian Creole, Tok Pisin, Torres-Strait Creole
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 20.10.23
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