The polyfunctionality and origins of makee in Chinese Pidgin English

Abstract

Words expressing ‘make’ are semantically and functionally versatile in many languages. Focusing on the word <i>makee</i>, derived from English <i>make</i>, in Chinese Pidgin English, a contact language originated in 18th-century Canton, China, this paper examines its origins and functions. Primarily a lexical verb, <i>makee</i> is polyfunctional in that it also occurs in the complex form [<i>makee</i> X] which indicates causation, imperative, and verbalization. Functioning as a main verb and a causative verb, <i>makee</i> largely mirrors the corresponding words in the source languages of the pidgin, namely English and Cantonese. However, <i>makee</i> as an imperative marker and a verbalizer are innovative features. In imperative sentences, <i>makee</i> in combination with another verb indicate commands. As a verbalizer, <i>makee</i> gives a verbal interpretation to the whole construction. These two new features of <i>makee</i> are not attributable to existing models in the source languages.