Slang -> Pidgin Squeak?
Henrik Gedenryd
Henrik.Gedenryd at lucs.lu.se
Mon Dec 27 11:51:42 UTC 1999
Just a completely unimportant note, albeit interesting IMO, and also
remembering Alan Kay's previous comments about Smalltalk and simplified
English.
Andrew C. Greenberg wrote:
> Slang is neither C nor Smalltalk. Necessarily, its a bit of each.
>
As I read this, it struck me that the linguistically accurate name for Slang
would be Pidgin.
This name would also be self-documenting: If I remember correctly from
linguistics class, pidgins are mixtures of two languages that emerge
especially where to cultures meet, as small subsets of a full language, and
often focusing on/limited to a certain domain where the need from
translation/communication arose, eg. for trade.
Ah, my online dictionary bore me out:
> pidgÄin (pæj2n) n. 1. A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture
> of two or more languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used
> for communication between groups speaking different languages, and is not
> spoken as a first or native language.
> PidÄgin English [ Alteration of pigeon English from Pidgin English pigeon
> business perhaps from the Chinese pronunciation of English business ]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^!!!!!!!!
Talk about reflexive language semantics!
Special-purpose, for certain needs, simplified, subset, mixture of two,
rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, comm. betw. different language groups,
not first language, etc.: It is striking how thison point by point describes
the nature and origins of Squeak Slang; hereby proposed to be named Pidgin
Squeak (or Pidgin for short).
ok, back to work now Henrik
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