Eskimo Pidgin: Eskimolexifier pidgins from Greenland

1
Eskimo Pidgin Eskimo-lexifier pidgins from
Greenland

• By Lindsey A. Lindley

2
Introduction

• Eskimo Pidgin refers to contact-induced
  varieties of Eskimo
• Eskimo Pidgin varieties are contact induced
  forms of a polysynthetic language
• Related Languages Eskimo, Danish, French, Norse,
  English, Portuguese (Basque?)
• Present Population size No speakers
• Location Greenland, though Eskimo-lexifier
  pidgins also exist elsewhere (i.e., Canadas
  Atlantic Coast)

3
Language classification Pidgin

• Not a Creole because
• No typical Creole features (i.e., strict SVO word
  order)
• Never functioned as a first language
• Not foreigner talk because
• Long tradition of seasonal trade emergence of
  pidgin likely
• Contains foreign lexical items and word order

4
(No Transcript)
5
Sociolinguistic background

• The Inuit People Originally nomadic, practicing
  seasonal hunting and gathering in the arctic
  environment. They are also greatly dependant on
  sea mammals. Currently, there are about 100,000
  speakers of Eskimo languages spanning over the
  arctic from East Greenland to Northeast Siberia.
• The Greenland Inuit people a.k.a. the
  Kalaallit. These people live in coastal areas
  only.
• West Greenlanders (pop. 45,000) located in the
  west coast and south, their dialect, West
  Greenlandic, is the native language of the
  majority.
• East Greenlanders (pop. 3,000) their dialect is
  related to West Greenlandic, but differs due to
  their near isolation over the last few centuries.
• The Polar Eskimos (pop. 770) living in the
  Northwest Greenlandic Thule district, their
  dialect is related to archaic Eskimo dialects in
  Canada and Alaska.

6
Sociolinguistic background Outside Contact

• The Norse (contact from 900-1450) established
  some permanent settlements on Greenland, but went
  extinct likely due to climactic conditions
• Norse lexical influence on Eskimo Pidgin only a
  few lexical items
• kona woman/wife
• Kalaaleq (pl. Kalaallit) Greenlander derived
  from the term used by the Norse to refer to the
  Inuits Kalale. This word is still used by Inuits
  in reference to themselves when communicating
  with non-Inuits.
• The Portuguese (contact began around 1500)
• Single possible Portuguese lexical item Inuit
  word Paliaarpoq takes part in singing and
  dancing from the Portuguese bailar to dance.

7
Sociolinguistic background Outside Contact

• The Basques and the French (contact from
  1500-1800)
• late 1600s-1760 emergence of Labrador Inuit
  Pidgin French for communication between Breton
  and Basque fishermen, French and Inuit.
• Sparse linguistic evidence
• The British (contact in 1576 and 1586) British
  explorers trade with Inuit
• 1777 British whalers
• The Danish (contact began in 1600)
• 1600 some Danish interest in Greenland
• 1721 Danish colonization of Greenland begins, a
  missionary colony is established
• Christianization (beginning in 1700s) Lutherans
  and Moravians

8
Contact History General implications

• Some Norse, Portuguese, French and Danish lexical
  items in Eskimo Pidgins
• Short, seasonal contact situations and lack of
  bilingualism before the 19th century led to the
  creation of a pidgin
• Today, many Inuit have become bilingual so the
  Eskimo Pidgins are no longer spoken at all (and
  no emergence of an Eskimo-lexifier creole)
• Study of Eskimo Pidgin must be historical

9
Linguistic features Basic Word Order

• Most common word order in Eskimo pidgins SVO
• Variations
• (Pidgin. Stefánsson 1909) (SOV)
• Awoña cavik
  aitcu.
• ISG knife give
• I gave him a
  knife.
• (Pidgin. Handury 1904) (SVOV)
• Awonga pihuk.tuk shiku
  tekuli.
• ISG walk.3SGm ice see
• I will take a walk to look at the ice.

10
Linguistic Features Morphology

• Pidgin words are morphologically simple
  apparent morphological structure no longer
  productive, does not have the morphosyntactic
  functions it has in Eskimo
• (Pidgin)
• Awonga igbik ukaktuk ISG
  2SG talk.3SG
• I told you.
• (West Greenlandic)
• Oqaluttuup-pakkit. Tell-ISG.2SG
• I told you.

11
Linguistic Features Morphology

• In Eskimo pidgins there is an analytic possessive
  construction (possessor is an independent
  pronoun) instead of the synthetic expression
  occurring in Greenlandic
• Pidgin West Greenlandic
• Uvanga Nulia nulia-ra
• ISG wife/3SG.wife wife-ISG
• my wife my wife

12
Linguistic Features Morphology

• Compounding (non-existent in Eskimo)
• Pidgin West Greenlandic
• bosamia puisi-p ami-a
• seal.skin seal-Rel skin-3SG
• sealskin seals skin

13
Linguistic Features Phonology

• Phonological quality is apparently absent in
  Greenlandic Pidgin
• Phonological traits similar to those observed in
  modern second language learners of Greenlandic
• Uvular quality of the /q/ (and the /r/) Eskimo
  pidgin examples
• oksok bacon (WG) orsoq blubber (whale
  or seal fat)
• kyak ship (WG) qajaq kayak
• kralit run (WG) qaagit! come.here-2SG

14
Linguistic Features Syntax

• (Hanbury 1904) Eskimo pidgin has adjective-noun
  order differing from the canonical Eskimo
  noun-modifier order (and is the same as the
  English order)
• Pidgin West Greenlandic
• Aupuluktuk hauik savik aappalut-toq
• be.red.N iron iron be.red-N
• Copper red iron

15
Resources

• Arends, J., Muysken, P, and Smith, N. (1994)
  Pidgins and Creoles An Introduction.
  Amsterdam John Benjamins.
• World Fact Book Greenland Map. Accessed
  4/26/06. lthttp//education.yahoo.com/reference/f
  actb ook/gl/map.html_yltAg0Zmp64YPijGEvCj0 WOvhS
  4ecYFgt