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 pronunciation

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)

Information about Tok Pisin | Tok Pisin phrases | Tower of Babel in Tok Pisin