Re: CHAT: various infotaining natlang tidbits

> From: Kristian Jensen <kljensen@...>
>      Pikanini namba wan bilong Queen <Prince (of Wales) Charles>
>      Gras bilong hed <hair>
>      Miks masta bilong Jesus Christ <helicopter>
> Date:         Wed, 14 Jun 2000 13:36:23 +0200
> From: Kristian Jensen <kljensen@...>
> Actually, the terms I posted are the older Tok Pisin forms used during
> the days of the Cargo Cults. The term "Miks masta bilong Jesus Christ"
> certainly reflects Cargo Cult understanding, doesn't it? There were a
> lot terms like that equally (if not more) hilarious -- a pity I don't
> remember them.
Hilariously simpleminded natives. Right.

Well, it may turn out that these phrases are genuine old Tok Pisin.
But they just remind me too much about the humorous 'examples' that
used to be in the little joke segments between articles in fifties-
vintage Reader's Digests. Like 'lazy white man sits down and walks'
for bicycle, and 'box with teeth, you hit him, he cry' for piano.

When I was nine and reading through my grandmother's boxes of back
issues, I could actually believe that that was how those endearing
primitive people talked. But now I very strongly suspect that they
were made up to be cute --- or hilarious. (I'm not sure which is the
least attractive of the two). And the same for Kristian's examples.

> "Pickaninny" is apparently a word that has been incorporated in all
> the European-based creoles of the world in some form or other. Same
> with "savvy" apparently. These originated perhaps from a Portuguese
> based jargon spoken on sailing ships in the old days with a
> multinational crew. I.e. "pickaniny" from "pequenho" and "savvy" from
> "saber" (I think).
Pikanini turns out to be more widespread than I thought, but there are
lots of other things that make me suspicious. For instance:
   Prince Charles was born in November 1948, after the Cargo Cult days
(which ended with WWII, IIRC). (OK, that's marginal).
   Why would TP borrow a word for grass before a word for hair?
   Wouldn't a stage of TP that has borrowed MixMaster not also have a
word for plane, and use something natural like 'plane like MixMaster'?
(There would have been very few helicopters in those days anyway---the
only WWII helicopter was the R-4 (from 1943), and AFAIK that was a
single-person rescue craft, not a cargo or combat craft).

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)