Regional lingua francas: language learning materials
A new course in Tok Pisin (New Guinea
Pidgin) Tom Dutton, in collaboration with Dicks Thomas
Tok Pisin is the major lingua franca of Papua New Guinea. It has long been, and continues to be, the major means of intercommunication amongst Papua New Guineans who have no other language in common. It has been used for a long time throughout Papua New Guinea for administrative purposes, but its importance has been greatly enhanced through its becoming the language of discussion in the majority of local government councils and the Parliament. It seems that Tok Pisin is heading towards becoming the unofficial national language of Papua New Guinea, a role which it is already fulfilling in some ways. Tok Pisin is a pidgin language whose vocabulary is 70-80 percent derived from, but far from identical with, English, with 15-20 percent derived from indigenous languages, and 5 per cent from other languages, mainly Malay and German. Its structure is un-English in many ways and is patterned on that of the Austronesian languages of the Southwestern Pacific. Further details.
Traim Tasol: Vocabulary Testing in Tok Pisin Karl J. Franklin
This booklet was originally designed to supplement materials that the Summer Institute of Linguistics provides for its members who are learning Tok Pisin. Available only as a PDF file. Out-of-print catalogue.
Pijin: A trilingual cultural dictionary Christine Jourdan, in collaboration with Ellen Maebiru
Pijin is the youngest of the languages of the Solomon Islands, yet it is the most important in terms of number of speakers and the role it plays in the life of the archipelago. It is known in all parts of the country, and used widely everywhere for intergroup communication, particularly in urban centres. This cultural dictionary of Pijin is aimed at three different publics: Solomon Islanders who wish to write in Pijin and need to check the spelling of words; visitors to the country who wish to learn Pijin or to know more about it; and scholars who seek to obtain precise and easily accessible linguistic information on the language. Rich in examples, drawings, historical and ethnographic documentation, the dictionary gives access to the Solomon Islands as well as to Pijin. Each of the three intended audiences may refer to the Pijin dictionary to obtain information on the history of the language, its cultural anchorage, the history, customary ways and geography of the archipelago, and aspects of flora, fauna and food. Further details.
An introduction to the national language of Vanuatu Darrell Tryon
The book is an introductory course for beginning students of Bislama, the national language of Vanuatu . It consists of fifteen units, covering the main aspects of Bislama phonology, grammar and lexicon. The fifteen units are accompanied by a CD set, so providing approximately thirty minutes of recorded material per unit. The teaching units are followed by a two-way wordlist and subject index. Further details.
Tetun Dili: A grammar of an East Timorese language Catharina Williams-van Klinken, John Hajek and Rachel Nordlinger
Tetun Dili is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language in Dili, East Timor. It is also spoken as a lingua franca throughout much of this fledgling nation, and is set to become its national language. This grammar describes the basic structure of Tetun Dili, covering phonology and morphology, as well as phrase-, clause- and sentence-level syntax. It is based on a corpus of both spoken and written texts, supplemented by elicitation. While the focus is primarily on the spoken language, comparisons are made with both written and liturgical varieties. In contrast to the more conservative Tetun Terik variety, Tetun Dili shows strong Portuguese influence after centuries of contact, particularly in its lexicon and phonology. Further details.
Say it in Samoan Ulrike La'i Mosel and Ainslie So'o
This book is a language textbook for people who want to learn to communicate in Samoan. It is suitable for self-instruction and is also a useful handbook for teaching Samoan. Each lesson contains dialogues and phrases for various kinds of important everyday situations, with grammatical explanations and exercises. The book concludes with a key to exercises and Samoan—English and English—Samoan glossaries. Further details. Available only as a PDF file. Out-of-print catalogue.
Beginning Hiri Motu T.E. Dutton and C.L. Voorhoeve
Hiri Motu (or 'Police Motu') is the second lingua franca of Papua New Guinea, spoken throughout much of the southern provinces of mainland Papua New Guinea (= the former Territory of Papua). Although speakers of Tok Pisin can now be encountered increasingly in areas which have otherwise been the exclusive realm of Hiri Motu, the language continues to be spoken, particularly by older people.
Hiri Motu is of considerable interest to linguists, as it is one of the few stable pidgins in the world which is not based on a European language. The basis of Hiri Motu is Motu, the Austronesian language of a number of villages around the city of Port Moresby. Available only as a PDF file. Out-of-print catalogue.