Bislama - The Pidgin English Language of Vanuatu
Languages in Vanuatu
Local languages: Actively spoken languages: 81
Declining languages: 17
languages: 8
Total: 106
Foreign languages: English is used in the system
Bislama
· It is spoken by 90% of the population today.
· In the past, this language was described as
History of Bislama
· Around 1800, it was used as a common language on many ships.
· After 1860, Vanuatu people worked in Australian
· After 1950, people moved to the
Description of Bislama
General
· Bislama should be called a pidgin.
Vocabulary
· Most words come from English.
· Words such as “from” may have more in Bislama.
· Less than 10% of words are of origin.
· Pacific words describe the natural world and also local
Grammar
· It is based on Vanuatu languages.
· The word "long" acts as an important in Bislama.
