Chapter 1

Introduction

A. Background
Language is in fact not single but different. In addition, in a language has various
forms of variation, including standard and non-standard variations. These variations arise
because of socio-cultural factors, where individuals or groups of individuals are located. The
form or form of the language of a person or group of people is little or more influenced by
the environment or the extra lingual factors that come into contact with it. Because the
language's extracting factor is varied according to the social reality it reflects.
Among the various languages, it is the language of pidgin and creole. In the
beginning, pidgin and creole are regarded as unattractive linguistic phenomena. People who
speak with pidgin and creole are considered contemptible. This behavior and presumption in
the present have changed. Linguists give serious attention to the languages of pidgin and
creole. They found interesting characteristics of pidgin and creole. Pidgin and creole studies
are an important part of sociolinguistic studies with all the literature and controversy of
pidgin and creole itself. In the end, the speakers of language realize that speaking with
pidgin and creole is not a bad language variation, but language or language variations that
have legitimacy, history, structure, and the possibility of recognition as a proper or proper
language.

B. Formulation of Problems
1. Explain about lingua franca!
2. Explain about pidgin and creoles!
3. What is the similarities and differences between pidgin and creoles?

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 Chapter II
Discussion

A. Lingua Francas
In history the term ‘’lingua franca’’ was first used during the Middle Ages and was
described as a language created as a combination of French and Italian that was enhanced
by the Crusaders and tradesmen in the east part of the Mediterranean. This language had
simplified nouns, verbs, and adjectives from both languages and it was considered as a
pidgin at first. Then over time this language turned into an early version of today’s Romance
Languages (http://www.britannica.com/). An example of a lingua franca is Arabic. The
enormous size of the Empire led to the need of a common language for communication
purposes and Arabic was chosen as that language (European Commission, 2010: 16).
Wardhaugh (2006: 58-60) indicates that people find it difficult to communicate with
others when each one of them uses a different language. The language that is chosen for
communication purposes which is used by people using different languages is called a lingua
franca. There are other terms that are used instead of lingua franca like; trade language,
contact language, international language, and an auxiliary language. These are usually the
result of population migration. Michif is given as an example that is a mixture of Cree verbs
and French nouns to create a lingua franca. Other examples for lingua francas are Arabic
which was a lingua franca as a result of Islam and English which was a lingua franca for trade,
commerce, and international relations. Greek Koien and Vulgar Latin were lingua francas in
the Mediterranean as well. These two lingua francas were used prevalently in the ancient
world but none of them were a homogeneous entity, they were spoken differently in
different places (Wardhaugh, 2006: 58-60).
English is accepted as a lingua franca in various countries like India. An official
language in India is Hindi but English is spoken in any possible area as a lingua franca for
communication purposes. On the other hand, Swahili is a lingua franca of East Africa which
continued to be simplified by the people as it got away from the coast. Finally it was
incomprehensible to the residents who lived near the coast. In other words, the same
language was used quite differently on the coast than the inland because people continued
to simplify the language. Chinook Jargon is another example for a lingua franca which was
used in North America among native people from British Columbia in to Alaska (Wardhaugh,
2006: 60- 61, 367).

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B. Pidgin and Creoles
Most studies of pidgins and Creoles (PC) have focused on their origins, despite an
undeniable increase during the 1990s in the number of works on structural features.
1. Pidgin Language
The pidgin language (Pidgin) is an element of language generated from contacts of
international languages in certain places and appears in the trading community.
According to KBBI (4th edition 2008), pidgin is the use of two or more languages which is
facilitated as a social communication tool in short contact between people of different
languages and is not the mother tongue of the wearer. Wardhaugh defines pidgin as:
"A pidgin is a language with no native speakers: it is no one's first language but is a
contact language. That is, it is the product of a multilingual situation in which a simple
language system that will enable them to do so. "(Wardhaugh, 2006: 58).
Pidgin is a language that does not have native speakers: it is not a person's first
language but a contact language, and is the result of a multilingual situation, where
someone who wants to communicate with others must find a way or develop simple
codes. Pidgin is also a language that arises as a result of interaction between two groups
who speak different languages and do not understand what is being said to each other,
so they use what is called the pidgin to communicate. For example, hawkers in the
Tanah Lot area speak with foreign tourists in English pidgin. English is used as the basis
and the pronunciation is adapted to the Indonesian tongue, for example:
a. peri cip (very cheap) = sangat murah
b. paip (five) = lima
c. masas (massage) = pesan
d. tosen (thousand) = seribu
e. many-many different with art shop (the price is much different from the price
given in the art shop) = harganya banyak beda dengan di toko.
In addition Holm added:
Holm (in Wardhaugh, 2006: 58) defines a pidgin as a reduced language that results from
the extended between groups of people with no language in common; it evolves when
they need some means of verbal communication, perhaps for trade, but no group learns
the native language of any other group for that.
Holm defines pidgin as a language produced by a group of people who do not have
the same language, then evolved as a communication tool for commerce, but this
language lacks native speakers. From some of the above opinions, it can be concluded

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pidgin is a variation of language that does not have a pentur original, which is
characterized by simplification (simplification), and typically experience simplification in
grammar and vocabulary.
Pidgin is a mixed language of two (or more) languages that appears naturally
because each of the original speakers of the language does not understand each other
(Wardhaugh, 1986: 57; Fasold, 1990: 181; Crystal, 1992: 334). Of course, the pidgin is
created so that each party can communicate with each other. Typically, the pidgin
language occurs from indigenous languages mixed with the language of migrants.
Usually, donations from indigenous languages outweigh the contributions of the
immigrant language, but they are not absolute. The most important thing is the simpler
pidgin language of each of its contributing languages. In other words, how is more easily
accepted / understood by both parties, that part also goes into the pidgin.
Pidgin is formed when speakers engage in commercial relationships or interactions
with other speakers, or work on plantations maintained by other speakers and do not
understand the language of the other person. Those who use pidgin also have other
languages as well, but pidgin serve as additional languages used for specific purposes
such as in trade or administration, for example to buy and sell rice or animal skins.
Additionally, pidgin is not used as a group identification tool or to disclose social
distance. In this case the main function of the pidgin language is to enable workers to
communicate with each other, as plantation workers come from different areas and are
used by foremen to direct rough laborers.
Pidgin not only appears in the area of trade and coastal areas, but pidgin can also
occur in the former territory of the colonies and in areas of heterogeneous community.
Pidgin can be formed from different vocabularies and structures and also take one of the
other languages as a basis for the refinement of its vocabulary. For example, the Malay
Language Market. This Malay language is the result of the spread of interethnic trade.
Malay Market is a pidgin language influenced by contacts between Malay and Chinese
merchants. Example:
a. Rumah-ku menjadi Saya punya rumah
b. Saya pukul dia menjadi Saya kasi pukul dia
c. Megat dipukul Robert menjadi Megat dipukul dek Robert

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2. Creoles Language
Creole is a pidgin which in its development became the mother tongue of a linguistic
society. Creole occurs when pidgin is the mother tongue of a particular community.
Creole is a pidgin that has undergone an expansion in terms of structure and vocabulary
to express the meaning or function similar to that required by a first language.
Holmes (in Wardhaugh, 2006: 59) says that 'A creole is a pidgin which has expanded in
structure and vocabulary to express the range of meaning and serve the range of
functions required of a first language. (in Wardhaugh, 2006: 59)
Holmes says the creole is a pidgin whose structure is expanded, its vocabulary
expresses a number of meanings and serves as a first language acquisition. Creole
emerges when pidgin becomes the mother tongue of a new genus of children. For
example, when a man and a woman who have different languages get married, they
both know the pidgin language and learn their partner language. Pidgin then became the
home language used together and became the mother tongue of their children.
Creole is a pidgin that requires native speakers. Many of these pidgin are then creoles.
This language is used by children as their first language and is used in a wide range. In
addition to developing as a first language, creoles also differ from pidgin in terms of
function and structure. Creole is a pidgin that has undergone an expansion in terms of
structure and vocabulary to express the meaning or function similar to that required by
a first language.
Creole is a language that is formed if a communication system that was originally a
pidgin language then became the mother tongue of a society. All languages called pidgin
are in fact now a new creole language. For example, the Tansi language in Sawahlunto is
a combination of Javanese, Indonesian and Minang languages, which grew and
developed in the Dutch colonial period used as a colloquial language by miners who
mostly come from the Javanese that we can still feel at the moment , including:
a. dimana ke ? (dimana kamu?) "ke" dari "kowe"
b. udah ke kabek-in anjing ke? (sudah kamu ikatkan anjingmu?)
c. kemana aja ke, kok lama gak ketok-ketok? (kemana saja kamu, kok lama tidak
keliatan?) "ketok" = terlihat/tampak
d. udah ta’ kek-i tapi dia tak mau terima (sudah saya berikan tapi dia tidak mau
terima) ta' = kata depan. kek-i = berikan

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 Another example is Malay Market influenced by contacts between Malay and Chinese
merchants, this language was formerly classified into the pidgin language and
experienced the process of creolization:
a. Rumah-ku menjadi Saya punya rumah
b. Saya pukul dia menjadi Saya kasi pukul dia
c. Megat dipukul Robert menjadi Megat dipukul dek Robert
Creation is the change of a pidgin into a creole. The Malay Language Market is still
used with limited scope in Singapore, Malaysia and East Sumba (NTT).
According to Wardhaugh pidgin and creole are almost opposite each other. Pidgin
involves simplifying languages, such as morphological reduction (word structure) and
syntax (grammar structure), tolerance of phonological variation (pronunciation),
reduction of pidgin language function, vocabulary borrowing from local mother tongue.
Instead, creole involves morphological and syntactic extension, phonological
arrangement, deliberately added the function of the language and the development of a
rational and fixed system to add vocabulary.
Pidgin arises because of the need to communicate, especially if speakers and
listeners have different languages. Not all licenses turn into creoles. Most permits are
lingua franca, there is due to necessity. If pidgin is no longer used, then it will die. Pidgin
is transformed into creole only if for some reason the license becomes one of the
languages spoken by children in certain situations that do not want full use of the
language. People speak creole faster than pidgin and do not say word for word, so
simplification is very visible. For example, ma bilong mi (my husband) becomes mablomi.

C. The Similarities and Differences between Pidgin and Creoles

1. The Similarities between Pidgin and Creoles
Throughout the paper the author has provided information on what pidgins and
creoles are and what makes them different from each other so this part will include
information on the similarities between them. Pidgins and creoles have many
similarities with a standard language but they are simplified in terms of morphology and
phonology. As mentioned before although pidgins originate from different languages,
interestingly they share quite a lot of similar characteristics (Wardhaugh, 2006: 61).
Wardhaugh (2006: 65) indicates that pidgins or creoles both have a wellorganized
linguistic system. So, even if the vocabulary is borrowed from a native language one still

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 has to learn it not just simplify and use it. For instance you cannot speak Tok Pisin by
just simplifying the vocabulary or grammar.
Another characteristic of a creole and a pidgin is that there are fewer sounds and
their arrangements are less complicated than those of a standard language.
Morphophonemic variation is not found in pidgins but the development of such a
variation might be a characteristic of creolization, when a pidgin becomes a creole.
Another characteristic of the process of creolization is the development of embedded
clauses, relative clauses (Wardhaugh 2006: 67). Bloomfield (1994: 472) supports that
there is no proof for any foreigner-talk or baby-talk theory about pidgins and creoles
but that Europeans deliberately simplified the languages in order to communicate with
others.
A theory of a pidgin is that they form because of the lack of ability that the user has
towards learning a standard language. Another theory is the theory of polygenesis,
when creoles and pidgins have a variety of origins; any similarities among them arise
from the shared circumstances of their origins. For example English had to be simplified
in trade communication so Pidgin English arose (Wardhaugh, 2006: 68).

2. The Differences between Pidgin and Creoles

Pidgin Creoles
1. not as a mother tongue 1. as the mother tongue
2. used in certain domains 2. used across domains
3. limited vocabulary 3. wider vocabulary
4. does not have native speakers 4. has a native speaker

Wardhaugh (2006: 75) claimed that pidgins quickly develop into a language but we
call it a creole because of its origin. The difference lies in rate of change for creoles and
pidgins. Another important difference between creoles and pidgins is that pidginization
occurs very quickly, almost over a night but creolization takes approximately two
generations to form.
Creoles are mostly related to a dominant language so a creole continuum can arise.
For example, an English Creole can develop into a number of varieties when it is in
contact with the standard language, English in this case. A continuum is when two
language varieties are varieties of the same language. It is also important to state that

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continuum cannot be the case where different languages are involved (Wardhaugh,
2006: 78).
The example of the black slave’s linguistic history for decreolization is interesting.
The slave owners chose slaves from different language backgrounds on purpose to
prevent rebellion. Each one came with a different language; West African languages,
Portuguese-based languages, or English-based pidgins, which was a coast based lingua
franca. This resulted in English-based pidgins and the process of creolization because of
the need for communication (Wardhaugh, 2006: 79).

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 Chapter 3
Conclusion
Wardhaugh (2006: 58-60) indicates that people find it difficult to communicate with others
when each one of them uses a different language. The language that is chosen for
communication purposes which is used by people using different languages is called a lingua
franca. Greek Koien and Vulgar Latin were lingua francas in the Mediterranean as well. These two
lingua francas were used prevalently in the ancient world but none of them were a homogeneous
entity, they were spoken differently in different places (Wardhaugh, 2006: 58-60).
Pidgin is a language that does not have native speakers: it is not a person's first language but
a contact language, and is the result of a multilingual situation, where someone who wants to
communicate with others must find a way or develop simple codes. Pidgin is also a language that
arises as a result of interaction between two groups who speak different languages and do not
understand what is being said to each other, so they use what is called the pidgin to
communicate. Creole is a pidgin which in its development became the mother tongue of a
linguistic society. Creole occurs when pidgin is the mother tongue of a particular community.
Creole is a pidgin that has undergone an expansion in terms of structure and vocabulary to
express the meaning or function similar to that required by a first language.

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References
Bloomfield, L. (1994), Language, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, India.
Crystal, D. (2003), English as a global language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sumarsono. 2007. Sosiolinguistik. Yogya: SABDA.
Versteegh, K. (2008), “Non-Indo-Eyropean Pidgins and Creoles”, Kouwenberg, S. and Singler,
J. V. (eds), The Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Studies, Blackwell Publishing, UK.
Wardhaugh, R. (2006), An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, (5th edition), Blackwell
Publishing, USA.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/ 342377/lingua-franca, Retrieved, 10.03.2018.

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