Chinese Pidgin English in Southeast Asia: Contexts of use and influence

Abstract

Having developed in South China, Chinese Pidgin English (CPE) spread into Southeast Asia. Evidence from historical sources attests to the use of CPE in Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, and Makassar. These sources show CPE to have been used in several contexts including in trading houses, between Chinese domestic servants and European employers, and in colonial administration, as in courtrooms and police operations. We then consider what influence CPE may have had on the varieties of English spoken in Malaysia and Singapore by examining four features: (i) think so-complementation, (ii) suppose conditionals, (iii) what for questions, and (iv) topicalization and null objects. While Chinese-influenced features of these varieties could have developed through influence of CPE and/or directly from Chinese, specific constructions point to influence from CPE. These findings expand the known sphere of use of CPE and shed light on its connections to other contact languages of the region.