Bichelamar

The bichelamar or bislama is a Pidgin with bases lexical English E, spoken with the Vanuatu (ex- New Hebrides). It is the Common language of this archipelago which counts, in addition, approximately 105 languages Vernaculaire S; since its independence in 1980, it is also one of the three official languages of the Republic of the Vanuatu, with equality with the French and the English.

Origin of the name

The word bichelamar would come from the Portuguese bicho stupid C mar “of sea” which indicated an marine animal, the Holothurie. In English, this animal is called sea-slug or sea cucumber; in French, digs sea , hind of sea or cucumber of sea . The sea cucumbers were a product consumed by the Chinese. Its trade was done initially with the Malayan ones, then it extended to the Pacific-South. In the middle of the 19th century, traffickers, the beach-combers , went to collect it on the reefs of the islands mélanésiennes to resell it in China. The spoken language between these navigators and the local populations, left Sabir containing English, constitute the very first form of the future Pidgin which was going to spread in all the Mélanésie. Thus the term bichelamar ended up indicating one of the alternatives of this pidgin. The form bislama is the pronunciation of this same word in the pidgin itself.

History

In first half of the XIXe century, Polynesia was the place of an important whaling. Many a indigenous S was engaged in the crews of the whalers. It is the origin of a first pidgin used between members of these crews. The number of whales decreased gradually, and thus their fishing, but the pidgin remained like language of communication.

In same time, in 1827, the presence of wood of Santal was revealed in the island of Erromango. This invaluable wood, very snuffed in China, was the object of an intense trade carried out by the Australian merchants.

These two activities were added to the exploitation of the sea cucumber, and its export towards China.

But around 1860, all these activities declined. They is at that time that new plantations in Australia developed, especially with the Queensland : cane with sugar especially, but also Coton and Coprah. These cultures claiming much labor, it is close to 50 000 inhabitants of the Vanuatu future who were engaged in the plantations, during one period known under the name of Blackbirding. The workers were engaged for one standard duration of 3 years, but some renewed 2, even 3 times this period. The workers coming from different islands, and thus speaking about the different languages, naturally used between them the pidgin which emerged then. Indeed, to communicate between them, these uprooted workers used a vehicular speech , comprising an English vocabulary but preserving the syntax of the languages mélanésiennes. This pidgin is at the origin of the Tok pisin now spoken in New Guinea New Guinea; Pijin spoken with the the Solomon Islands; and of the bislama spoken with the Vanuatu.

At the end of the period of Blackbirding, whereas the workers returned on their premises around 1910, the bislama was stabilized linguistically, then started to be spread like Lingua franca , in all the archipelago of the Vanuatu (then named the New Hebrides). At the time of independence in 1980, it becomes official language, at the sides of French and English. Moreover, in 1981, the Churches of Vanuatu agreed to use the bislama like language of communication with their faithful. All this reinforced considerably the position of this language, little considered up to that point. During last decades, the migratory currents, the urbanization, the marriages between different linguistic groups, the book and the radio contributed to the process of creolisation of the pidgin-english: the bislama, in the two urban areas of the country (Port-Villa and Santo), thus became the first language of many speakers who ceased speaking their source language. It keeps nevertheless its statute of pidgin (common language) in the rural areas of the Vanuatu, which continue still today to speak the vernacular languages about origin. The bislama is currently the language most used in the archipelago of the Vanuatu, as well in the daily life as in the media, or at the Parliament. It represents a certain neutrality in a country divided between the influences Frenchwoman and English.

Alphabet and pronunciation

Vowels

has, I, O = as in French
E = " é" or " è"
U = " ou"

Consonants

B, D, F, K, L, M, NR, P, R, S, T, V, Y = as in French
G = G hard, often confused with K
P and F is also sometimes confused (e.g.: PROM/from )
H = as in English, dumb man in certain speakers
J = between " dj" and " tch"
W = as in " watt"

Diphthongs

AE = near to " aille"
AO = near to English " ow"

Grammar

personal Pronouns

Singular

semi : I
yu : you
hem : it, it

Duel

yumitu : us two inclusive (you and me)
mitufala : us two exclusive (me and him)
yutufala : you two
tufala/tugeta : them two, they two

Triel

yumitrifala : us three inclusive (you two and me)
mitrifala : us three exclusive (us three)
trifala/trigeta : them three, they three

Plural

yumi : us inclusive (us all)
mifala : us exclusive (them and me)
yufala : you (>3)
ol/olgeta : them, they (>3)

Basic sentence

There is no verb being used like Copule.

semi dokta = I am doctor

yu smol = you are small

The word I is used to indicate to the end of the group prone to the third anybody of the singular.

hem I dokta = he is doctor

haos I waet = the house is white

It is present even when the subject is omitted.

I smel gud = that feels

good

Plural is introduced by ol , I then becoming oli .

ol haos oli waet = the houses are white

Verbs

The verbs are either invariable, or have 2 forms.

Verbs invariables :

kakae = to also eat (" nourriture")
swim = to swim
drink = to drink

Verbs variables :

giv/givim = to give good
/bonem = to burn
kuk/kukum = to cook, cook

The form in - m indicates that the verb has a direct object. For example :

haos I good = the house burns
semi bonem haos = I burn the house

Aspectual markers

No : … not

hem I No kakae yam = it does not eat a Igname

nomo : … more (placed before the predicate)

hem I nomo kakae yam = it does not eat any more a Igname

nomo : … only (placed after the predicate)

hem I kakae yam nomo = it eats only Igname

neva : … never

hem I neva kakae yam = it never eats Igname

your : the action has just occurred

mifala I your wekap = we have just awaked us

stat : to start, beginning of a process

hem I stat kukum kumala = it has just started to make cook the Sweet potatoes

stap : action being held, to have the practice

hem I stap kukum kumala = it is making cook Sweet potatoes / it with the practice to make cook sweet potatoes

bin : when the action proceeds at one exact moment of the past

hem I bin go long Kanal = it went in Lugainville (main city of Santo)

finished : express the accomplished one

hem I finished kakae = it finished eating

farmhouse : to have, obligation

hem I farmhouse kakae = it must eat

traem : to test, try

hem I traem singsing = it tries to sing

wantem : to want, wish

hem I wantem go long Kanal = it wants to go in Lugainville

save : to be able, knowledge

semi save toktok langwis bislama = I can speak the bichelamar

bambae (or only bae ): future

hu ia bambae I karem yu I kasem long haos ? = which thus took you along until the maison ?

niu nem ia we bambae I tekom = the new name which it will adopt

supos : if, the assumption expresses

supos yumitufala I faenem pig ia, yumitufala I kilim = if we find this pig wild, we kill it

Prepositions

Blong

Can result in " de" or " pour". In a fast speech, can be shortened in blo .

Indicates a relation of membership.

haos blong semi = my house
naef blong yu = your knife

Indicates a more general relation between determinant and given.

wil blong trak = tire of car
put blong pig = meat of pig

Indicates a function or a goal.

buk blong rid = delivers reading
wota blong drink = drinking water
semi go long horsefly blong PEM bred = I went downtown to buy bread

Indicates a character trait or an origin.

hem I man blong drink = it is a drunkard
hem I blong Tanna = he is of Tanned

Length

Can result in " à" , " dans" , " sur" or " avec". In a fast speech, can be shortened in lo .

Indicates a localization.

bred I stap long tebol = the bread is on the table
semi stap long slipway haos = I sleep in the house

Indicates the means, the instrument.

semi kam long trak = I came by car
semi katem frut long naef = I cut a fruit with a knife

Indicates a comparison.

Frut ia I long Mo gud taro ia = this fruit is better than this long Taro
kava Tanna I long Mo daerek kava long Santo = the Kava of Tanned is stronger than the kava of Santo

Wetem

Can result in " avec" , " in company de".

Indicates the accompaniment.

semi kam wetem yu = I come with you

Olsem

mark the identity, the resemblance

wan made olsem sak = a fish as a shark
wud ia I stong olsem ayan = this wood is hard like iron

From

Can result in " because de".

Indicates the cause.

semi bin kam from hariken = I came because of the hurricane

Interrogative

Hamas : how much?

Hamas mani? : how much does that cost?

I hamas? : It is how much?

Hu : who?

Woman ia hu? : Who is this woman

Hu ia nem blong yu ? Which is your name?

Nem blong man ia hu ? : Which is the name of this man

Wanem : what?

Yu wantem wanem? : What do you want?

Wiswan : which?

Yu takem wiswan? : Which do you take?

Wea : where?

Yu go wea? : where do you go?

Wanem taem : when?

Long Sto I klos wanem taem? : At what time the store closes

Weswe : by which means? How?

Numbers

Cardinal

1: wan; 2: you; 3: sorting; 4: fo; 5: faef; 6: sikis: 7: seven; 8: eit; 9: naen; 10: ten; 11: leven; 12: twelef; 13: tatin; 14: fotin; 15: feftin; 16: sikistin; 17: seventin; 18: eitin; 19: naetin; 20: twante; 30: touch; 40: fote; 50: fefete; 60: sikist; 70: sevente; 100: handred

Ordinal

1st: nambawan (or fes); 2nd: nambatu; 3rd: nambatri…

Determinants

Wan: one (E)

Sam: , some

plant: much of

ol:

wanwan: one by one

evri: all, each

long Sam we: approximately

ia: this, this

Superlative

With the term “Mo is built”

ol Mo naes buluk: most beautiful oxen

Wan Mo gud rod: a better road

Some examples

helo : hello
olsem wanem: How are you?
I gud (nomo): (very) well
Tangyu tumas: Thank you very much
Folds: please
Gudmonig: Hello
Gudnaet: Good night
Touched: goodbye
Babai: hello
lukim you: With presently
long Wanem I rong yu? : Which is your problem? What doesn't go?
Wet smol : a little
EM I man blong dring Tusker awaits: It is a beer drinker (of Tusker, the local beer, also functions with numba wan, another beer local)
baramin/kruba/pubel/kontena: a boozer
Graon I sek: Earthquake
tennis shoe blong sisit: bowel, internal
tennis shoe blong titi: bra
hem I gat fatty tumas man ia: This man is hairy
Bebet: insect
Nakamal: put men
stalemate blong traot blong ol man we I stap mufmuf taem oli toktok: the Adam's apple
sista blong bigfala bokis beautiful TEAM yu skrasem blong hem I krae: violin
wan bigfala bokis I gat blak concealed Mo waet concealed taem yu kilim hem I krae: piano
fatty No gud: pubic hairs

Teaching

In France

the bislama is taught with the National institute of the languages and civilizations Eastern (Paris), in the first cycle of languages océaniennes

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