172 PIDGIN ENGLISH. 



ability exists to pronounce under certain circumstances, 

 dependent on the initial sound following them, words ending 

 in f, t, k, th, m. n, s, an den in like manner have ee or 



L to them 5 t and k frequently take see, "want" be- 

 coming "wantsee." There is no apparent reason for this 

 er peculiarity, unless it may be referred to habit, arising 

 from the cc irrence of the is sound in all Chinese 



dialects. Custom gives the final ee to many words ending in 

 b and I, but they present no difficulty to the native speaker 

 as pure finals. The absolutely unpronounceable 



either as initial or medial to the Southern Chinaman, and is 

 avoided as a fina l possible — in striking contradistinc- 



tion to the mandarin-speaking portion of the empire. In 

 Peking, almost evei ci is capable of taking a final r 



sound by adding to or eliding its primitive terminal; thus, 

 jen becomes cirh, etc. When pronounced in the 



south the r closely : es the Hindoo letter r, which is 



between an r and a d. 



The results of these rules — if they can be so called — are 

 somewhat odd, the more so as, in addition to disguising the 

 words, the native compilers of pidgin vocabularies often 

 make up the quaintest combinations to express very simple 

 words. As specimens of merely adulterated English I may 

 mention alio for all, chilo for child, facey for face or character, 

 -e-lee for English, Jcumpat-o for Compradore, and soon. 

 •But one becomes puzzled at such renderings at put-lut-ta for 

 brother ha-ssu-mhn for husband or sha-man for servant. 

 Of compound words I may quote bulUchilo and cow-cliilo for 

 hoj and girl: Alio plopa for quite right Joss pidgin man or 

 Heaven pidgi for missionary, and looksee pidgin for 



ostentation or hypocrisy; while anybody reputed to be 



. ked is d l as one who hub got water top side ! 



It will be readily understood that, thus "transmogrified," 

 English as spoken by natives at the China ports becomes a 

 - from contempt by the fixed rules under 

 which it is constructed, and the illustration it affords of 

 Chinese idioms. Many words in common use are of Portu- 

 guese or Malay origin, while a certain number of pure Chi- 

 nese phrases add to its polyglot character. Some words, 

 again, are neither English, Chinese, nor anything else but 

 "pidgin," and their derivation cannot be ascertained. Such 

 kee, which -» signifies "never mind," chin-chin, for 

 "'how do you do," or "'goodbye," " to compliment," etc. 

 This latter phrase is not, as commonly supposed, Chinese. 

 There is a phrase, Tsing Tsing, meaning " if you pleaes ;" 



