[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/pidgin/)

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# pidgin

noun (a pidgin, pidgins; pidgin, uncountable)

«pidgin» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A simple language made up when people who speak different languages need to talk, often for trade, mixing words from both. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#m1)
2. (informal) Broken or very simple speech in a language you do not know well: «pidgin French». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#m2)

### In the lessons

In language and history lessons: pidgins grew up in ports and plantations. When children grow up speaking a pidgin as their first language, it becomes a full language called a creole. Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea and Nigerian Pidgin are well-known examples spoken by millions.

### Examples

- A pidgin has a small vocabulary and simple grammar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#x1)
- Nigerian Pidgin is spoken by millions of people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#x2)
- Tok Pisin began as a pidgin and is now an official language of Papua New Guinea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#x3)
- On holiday, Dad got by with pidgin Spanish. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#x4)
- Traders made a pidgin so they could buy and sell. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#x5)
- When a pidgin becomes a first language, it is called a creole. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/#x6)

### Note

Homophone trap: «pidgin» (language) and «pigeon» (bird) sound the same. Countable for a particular language; uncountable for the kind of speech. Calling someone's speech «pidgin» can sound rude; pidgins and creoles are real languages with their own rules.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «pidgin» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pidgin/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«pidgin» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/pidgin.html) on Mova free.