Yokohama Creole: Difference between revisions
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Third-person pronouns in Yokohama Creole tend to have a specific use depending on social familiarity with the person mentioned. For example, inanimate objects are referred to with /tin/ from English *thing*, but may also be combined with another personal pronoun to make it derogatory, as in the second-person /ju tin/. /man/ and its feminine counterpart /ʃiman/ are used as a polite form of /im/ and /ʃi/ respectively, but also act as pro-forms like in Japanese: | Third-person pronouns in Yokohama Creole tend to have a specific use depending on social familiarity with the person mentioned. For example, inanimate objects are referred to with /tin/ from English *thing*, but may also be combined with another personal pronoun to make it derogatory, as in the second-person /ju tin/. /man/ and its feminine counterpart /ʃiman/ are used as a polite form of /im/ and /ʃi/ respectively, but also act as pro-forms like in Japanese: | ||
/domdom man tink dat man blok im kjan/ lit. "Stupid he thinks that he can beat him", means "The stupid man thinks that he can beat | /domdom man tink dat man blok im kjan/ lit. "Stupid he thinks that he can beat him", means "The stupid man thinks that he can beat [the other man]". | ||
In contrast, /im/ or /ʃi/ tend to connotate a familiarity with the person in question; i.e., a family member or a good friend may be referred to as /im/ or /ʃi/, though family members are usually referred to by role, e.g. /onkel/ "uncle" or /mama/ "mother." | In contrast, /im/ or /ʃi/ tend to connotate a familiarity with the person in question; i.e., a family member or a good friend may be referred to as /im/ or /ʃi/, though family members are usually referred to by role, e.g. /onkel/ "uncle" or /mama/ "mother." | ||
===Particles=== | ===Particles=== | ||
Much of Yokohama Creole grammar is built around the use of particles; these are generally thought to be derived from Japanese verb conjugations. For example, to show potentiality, whereas English would use the auxiliary verb "can" as in "I can do this", Yokohama Creole speakers would place the "can" after the main verb, yielding /mi du dis kjan/ lit. "I do this can". | Much of Yokohama Creole grammar is built around the use of particles; these are generally thought to be derived from Japanese verb conjugations. For example, to show potentiality, whereas English would use the auxiliary verb "can" as in "I can do this", Yokohama Creole speakers would place the "can" after the main verb, yielding /mi du dis kjan/ lit. "I do this can". | ||