about

I am a linguist. I speak Cantonese and English. On this website, you can visualize instances of languages in contact with various types of ephemerals. Visualizing Language Contact  字^zi6遊^jau4 • 字^zi6在^zoi6 is about the contact between Cantonese (廣^gwong2東^dung1話^waa2) and English, historically and contemporarily. Dating back to the 18th century, when the Cantonese and English languages were in regular contact in Canton (now Guangzhou), China primarily for trade, this website presents the development and characteristics of a new mode of communication – Chinese Pidgin English. Chinese Pidgin English is a one-in-a-lifetime language demonstrating how far human creativity can go under pressure to achieve communication. Chinese Pidgin English is both new and old. There is no doubt that it is a new language and so every speaker is also an experimenter. It is old because the grammar is built on the speakers’ existing language experience. The grammar of the pidgin demonstrates the universality of language use and the individuality of the users and the contact situation.

What creates the flow of words and language? One major reason is humans are constantly on the move. The Long Nineteenth Century (1789 – 1914) was remarkable for the revolutionary ideas occurring worldwide. Although records of Chinese Pidgin English existed before 1789 and the demise of the language occurred much later than 1914, the heyday of the pidgin coincided with the long 19th century. The 19^th century was undoubtedly one of the most revolutionary periods in human history. Advances in modes of transportation and communication allowed people from faraway places to come together for reasons including trade, conquest, mission, settlement, education, exploration, vacation, and many more.

Language is an important medium enabling us to understand new people and environments. In Visualizing Language Contact 字^zi6遊^jau4 • 字^zi6在^zoi6, through showcasing typical usages of Chinese Pidgin English, we are going to see how people of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds negotiated and compromised in order to search for a middle ground. An understanding of Chinese Pidgin English would not be possible without referring to Cantonese and English, the main languages laying the foundation for the grammar of the pidgin. Therefore, illustrations of the contact situation will revolve around Cantonese, English, and Chinese Pidgin English.

While ephemera are short-lived materials, they are an important source of people’s daily lives and social and global dynamics. Among ephemera of the 19th century, postcards were the most widely produced and distributed printed ephemera. Since their first appearance in the late 19th century, postcards have been a popular souvenir for travellers. The images remind travellers of the places and people they visited and the messages give the recipients a glimpse of the foreign culture such as language. Bits of Chinese Pidgin English on different ephemeral materials show the relevance of the language in people’s activities.

Language contact happens every day and everywhere. Sometimes it is manifested as simply borrowing a few foreign words; sometimes intense and constant intercultural interaction results in the creation of a new language, as in the case of Chinese Pidgin English. Despite occasional criticisms, it does not diminish the fact that Chinese Pidgin English was a major means to make oneself understood then. So I hope you will enjoy the articles on this website.