Re: CHAT: various infotaining natlang tidbits

>> > > >      Pikanini namba wan bilong Queen <Prince (of Wales) Charles>
(Pickaninny is a _US_ 'slave' word.)
>>
>>From Portuguese pidgin, meaning "little," as Spanish pequen~o.
>>Not everywhere with the same connotations.

Danny wrote:
>If the word is _pecaninho_ (?), then it's the *dimunitive* of "little" --
>i.e. "little little"!
>

It would have been _pequeninho_.  The Portuguese were running around E and W
Africa long before anyone else, and probably started the slave trade.
Plenty of time for some Port. words to be adopted/pidginized and spread
hither and yon by sailors, slavers, traders etc.  of all nationalities.  The
Portugues also beat everyone to Asia. However, and I may be mistaken,  my
impression is that Asian  Pidgin English got started in the China ports,
then spread into the island world, probably by British sailors/traders--
also Aussies in the New Guinea/Melanesia area.  Not at all surprising to
find the word in US Black (albeit stigmatized)speech too.  BTW, in some
versions of Pidgin/Tok IIRC it's sometimes shorted to _pikin_??

The only Malay word I can think of in English:  (run) amuck;  ketchup/catsup
is via Ml. but originally Chinese.  British Engl. may have a few more.
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