Tok Pisin

Tok Pisin is an English-based creole spoken in Papua New Guinea by about 4 million people, 120,000 of whom speak it as their first language. It is one of the official languages of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country

The word tok means "word" or "speech" as in "talk", and pisin means "pidgin". Other names for the language include New Guinea Pidgin, Melanesian Pidgin English or Neo-Melanesian. Tok Pisin started out as a Pidgin - a simple contact language used by people who didn't share a common language. Over time is has evolved and become a creole acquiring more complex grammar in the process. The majority of Tok Pisin vocabulary comes from English, though it also includes words from German, Portuguese and a number of Austronesian languages such as Tolai and Malay.

Tok Pisin is used to some extent in the media and government. It also the language of instruction for the first three years of primary education in some schools.

Tok Pisin alphabet and pronunciation

Tok Pisin alphabet and pronunciation

Source: http://www.unilang.org/course.php?res=80#ci--l1

Download an alphabet chart for Tok Pisin (Excel)

Sample text in Tok Pisin

Yumi olgeta mama karim umi long stap fri na wankain long wei yumi lukim i gutpela na strepela tru. Uumi olgeta igat ting ting bilong wanem samting I rait na rong na mipela olgeta I mas mekim gutpela pasin long ol narapela long tingting bilong brata susa.

Translation

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)

Videos in Tok Pisin

Information about Tok Pisin | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Tok Pisin
http://www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/tokpisin.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tok_Pisin
http://roberteklund.info/PNG-TokPisin.htm

Tok Pisin lessons
http://www.unilang.org/course.php?res=80

Tok Pisin phrases
http://wikitravel.org/en/Tok_Pisin_phrasebook
http://www.unilang.org/wiki/index.php/Tok_Pisin
http://kiwiexpat.com/tok-pisin/
http://youtu.be/WC6uPjiVbYs?t=1m9s

Tok Pisin dictionaries
https://www.tokpisin.info/
http://www.pngbd.com/dictionary.php
http://www.freelang.net/online/tok_pisin.php
http://www.june29.com/HLP/lang/pidgin.html

Tok Pisin Translation, Resources, and Discussion
http://www.tok-pisin.com

Radio in Tok Pisin
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/tokpisin/

Creole languages

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: 04.01.22

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