Growing up with Tok Pisin: Contact,Creolization,and Change in Papua New Guinea's National Language

Tok Pisin is the Pidgin English language that was introduced to Papua New Guinea in the late 19th century as a way for this linguistically complex society to communicate with a common language. This book provides the historical background for this language and a detailed account of the changes that are taking place in its pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar as it is increasingly adopted as the first language of young people throughout the country.

Author Biography: Geoff P. Smith spent 22 years in Papua New Guinea. While there he made recordings of more than 500 young people for whom the language had become the primary means of communication in 14 different provinces of Papua New Guinea. His study is one of the best informed of any pidgin or Creole language. He has published more than 20 journal articles in linguistic journals. This is his first book.