Sociohistorical and grammatical aspects of Tok Pisin
I. From early contacts and Gut Taim Bilong Siaman: (the Good Old Days of the German Administration)
II. Indigenous voices 1920-1945
III. The use of Tok Pisin by missions and government
IV. Indigenous voices 1950-1970
V. Traditional indigenous voices 1970 to the present
VI. Translations of foreign voices
VII. Urban Tok Pisin and the influence of English
VIII. New written genres
IX. Creolized varieties of Tok Pisin
Bibliography
Description
Tok Pisin is one of the most important languages of Melanesia and is used in a wide range of public and
private functions in Papua New Guinea. The language has featured prominently in Pidgin and Creole linguistics and
has featured in a number of debates in theoretical linguistics. With their extensive fieldwork experience and vast
knowledge of the archives relating to Papua New Guinea, Peter Mühlhäusler, Thomas E. Dutton and
Suzanne Romaine compiled this Tok Pisin text collection. It brings together representative samples of the largest
Pidgin language of the Pacific area. These texts represent about 150 years of development of this language and will
be an invaluable resource for researchers, language policy makers and individuals interested in the history of Papua
New Guinea.
