Should Tok Pisin be the language of literature in PNG?

PHIL FITZPATRICK

“Those who wish to develop literature in Papua New Guinea need to address the key question, should PNG literature be written in English or Tok Pisin? Tok Pisin is more the language of the common man and English is more the language of the elite. When PNG finds its Chaucer, I believe he will be writing in Tok Pisin” – Cygil, in a PNG Attitude comment

THIS IS SOMETHING that Keith and I debated in a roundabout way when we kicked off the Crocodile Prize.

It is a very pertinent question and one that is difficult to answer.

I especially like poetry written in Tok Pisin.

It has a very distinct flavour all its own that you can't reproduce in an English translation.

However, Papua New Guinea now exists in a globalist world whose language of choice is English.

If a writer wants to reach out beyond PNG shores then it is wise to do it in English.

 

If you think of all the African and Asian writers that you might have read you will have done so in English, simply because you don't understand their native language.

I'm very sympathetic to a literature in Tok Pisin, and even Motu, which is a beautiful language, but I can't really see how it could be supported.

I'd be very interested in the views of other people on this matter.

Comments

[Ian Fraser]

If it seems difficult to find a useful analogy -- and it does -- try "Joual", the kind of French that developed orally in Quebec over a few centuries. Exactly the same kinds of debate that we see in PNG (and Solo & Vanuatu) led in Quebec to a renaissance of theatre, music, and novels in Joual, beginning in the late 60s.

Now there is the natural balance between 'proper' French and Quebec French: subtitles for Quebec movies in France, newspapers and such in Quebec still using the international version of the national language.

[Rozabelle Hota]

Tokpisin should not be used because when translated into english, the structure and grammar will be very confusing and hard. Books should be written in english because it helps us to write our own and understand it.
We cannot do like job interviews in tokpisin in very big companies run by foreingners. How could someone get a job when he cannot speak english and goes in for a interview?

Tokpisin indeed is our main language however if we continue speaking it, and when we try to translate it to english we mixed up all our tenses and grammars.
Tokpisin should not be used in PNG Literature.

[Nigel Gagau]

Yes, I think Papua New Guinea must take Tok Pisin as our literature course and English as the second literature course.

Why is that? Because we Papua New Guineans understand Tok Pisin more clearly than English and also we communicate using Tok Pisin more often.

When we often use it, we can quickly learn and more of our youths could graduate and be somewhere in the fields rather than hanging out on the streets.

Also it helps our people in rural areas.

[Michael Dom]

Many people even in Western societies have never read the classics or only as a compulsory part of their education. I'm guilty there too!

But in the classics it's not so much the language as the ideas expressed or developed, the skill with which they have delivered their story or arguments.

Above all an education should be relevant within the context of what society finds important and necessary for the tasks and expertise that people are expected to deliver.

I believe that literature has a certain freedom within the educational context.

Literature is the written expression of culture and traditions. So it is open to languages.

But the selection of what langauge will best communicate the ideas or relate well the stories to whom we are communicating remains an essential task of the writer.

[Bernard Yegiora]

Translating the classics is just an example, but it is important just like the bible because it will help one to deeply understand Western civilization.

It is academic in nature but part of integral human development. Our ability to understand the reason why we have a government because of the social contract will help us to understand our role as citizens of an independent state.

Otherwise, we will continue down the path we are heading, creating a strong elite society where the rural folks will be mere spectators, while we the elites wrestle for power.

Anyway, the biggest problem is we do not have a healthy reading culture. You see most people at the buai market chewing and chatting. As well, most people spend so much time gambling.

A person sleep on a hammock or sitting on a patapata (out door sitting bench) reading is a rare sight in PNG. Newspapers maybe but not a novel and definitely not a classic.

[Neil Yamelu]

Argument 1

I suggest tok pisin should not be the language of literature because, due to modern technology, everything is written in english and it shows that the global community are all english literate and not learning things in their vulnerable language.

Argument 2

I think pidgin should be implemented as the language of literature in PNG because english was not the first language that we learned. I think we could develop brains to develop this nation if pidgin becomes the literature of PNG.

[Jerilee Diaram]

In my opinion I suggest that we to do away with Pidgin. Pidgin is a language that anybody can speak, and there is no grammar rules in it.

Also as Papua New Guineans, no one taught us how to speak Pidgin. It is our identity before we were born. We came to this world with "tok pisin" already written on our tongues.

I think that we have to be more literate in English, so that we can communicate with the outside world. How can we comunicate with the outside world when all our literature is in Pidgin?

It is something that we all should carefully examine it before we come up with conclusions. Papua New Guinea's literature is low because of lots of Pidgin speakers.

We will only improve if all of us can speak English and understand the context of English. In this way, we will make a change for the nation.

[Michael Dom]

I'm with Leonard, we can communicate in dual languages and should do so in our writing because it's our identifier - that's Papua New Guinean literature!

When using Tok Pisin and vernacular meanings can be infered to by context, identified by footnotes or endnotes, or entire sections can be explained in another book if need be!

JRR Tolkien invented a new language and wrote songs and poems in his books using it.

Keep in mind that in terms of education and competing in the employment market, both local and global, there are rungs of a ladder to be climbed.

Communicating in English is on a higher rung than Tok Pisin. Let's not try to dumb down our people.

I doubt if Tok Pisin will fade away. In fact it's everywhere getting stronger. But let's not try to envisage ourselves as another China or Japan. Such countries had a written language millenia before English reached their shores.

Our Tok Pisin is a language of necessity to communicate between so many different groups. It will not cater to higher level, technical communication.

Why go to the trouble of re-writing the classics anyway when you can teach people English and they can go find a copy of Aristotle's philosopies and read it themselves?

Let's not waste time and resources on an exercise that might be more academic and less practical for the things we need to do today, i.e. improve basic education.

I believe functional illiteracy was found to be PNG's problem, meaning we can read and write in English but not make much use of these skills as part of everyday life.

Now I see that's because we're all using Tok Pisin all the time. Well that's sure helping us isn't it?

While it may be valuable to keep our own vernacular languages alive, sometimes I think we just over rate Tok Pisin and shoot ourselves in the foot because Tok Pisin is killing them too.

[Leonard Roka]

I am not a certified electrician with an 'A' in English but constructed my own mini-hydro electricity plant by dismantling power generators like Yamaha gen-sets and subjecting them to the kinetics of water energy.

This is a common practice for us on Bougainville; the majority of whom have never spoken Pidgin and English.

[Leonard Roka]

O'Regan, a good point there when we discuss Eurocentrism. I agree to your points, brother, if we talk about academia or diplomacy or computing of highest standards.

But when it comes to earthmoving plant, equipment fitting, electricity and many tasks in this rung, my people in Bougainville that never went into formal education, nor speak Pidgin, do it.

I don't know about Papuans and New Guineans, but Bougainvilleans walk with our concept 'mekim na save' (do it and know it).

Thus in writing, everything needs experimentation.

[Kevin O'Regan]

I work with mechanics and fitters in the earthmoving industry in a majority Pidgin speaking environment.

Though most are extremely capable and understand even complex mechanical breakdowns and can fix them, the men who cannot read a parts book will never make it through to fully qualified tradesmen.

Supervisors and trainers who continually converse in Pidgin are not doing any favours to their staff who have the ability to move up the ladder and further their careers with some of the bigger companies now working in PNG.

I am sorry but if one cannot read and speak English you are not going to reach the positions so many of your countrymen and women are capable of.

[Timothy Poroda]

I suggest that both can be used in literature because our society would be much informed in Tok Pisin as in English which is our second and official language.

If PNG writers have their literature in Tok Pisin it will be much more appreciated because we understand the ideas in the language especially the non-English speakers.

I also agree with the statement that PNG is in a globalised world, that PNG literature should be in English for the world to know about our literature.

[Bernard Yegiora]

We need more Tok Pidgin books.

Apart from bible translations, we need to translate works from great philosophers like Plato, Aristotle and other major classics in order to educate the people.

The majority of the population speaks and understands Pidgin better then English. Thus, to educate the people of PNG from the low to middle class we need Pidgin literature.

[Michael Dom]

I appreciate your point, Jerome, Tok Pisin is the vernacular language of an evolving Papua New Guinea society.

But there's also a need to communicate broadly to a worldwide audience, to other people who can then appreciate who we are and what we are about.

Consider my poem, 'A candlelight market in Port Moresby'?

http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2011/12/a-candlelight-market-in-port-moresby.html

This poem uses sophisticated English language but isn't the story, the scenarios and tableaux singularly Papua New Guinean?

That begs the question what is PNG literature if it is not written in Tok Pisin?

[Phil Fitzpatrick]

This is a very interesting topic. I think my view is very similar to the one expressed by Leonard.

The next book that I publish will be set in Port Moresby and there is a lot of Tok Pisin and a little bit of Motu in it.

I've tried to write the paragraphs with the language in such a way that the meaning is self-evident, although I'm also including a glossary at the back.

Francis Nii's new book includes quite a bit of Tok Pisin and Simbu language and he tackles it by using instantaneous translations in brackets. That seems to work too.

I'd suggest that the whole idea is a topic that SWEP might take up next year in their planning for the 2014 Crocodile Awards.

[Jerome Aiake]

I think PNG literature can be written in Tok Pisin but the writers must come up with mediums or ways to explain their writings in English to English readers.

By doing so will promote the true PNG literature which is the Tok Pisin literature and not the English written literature.

Every field has its own challenges, you PNG writers this is your challenge.

[Leonard Roka]

Having studied a little on modern world literature at UPNG, I believe we writers should write by engaging both Pidgin and English.

However, I favour English together with expressions or words from my Nasioi language. This would have a glossary.

But I it is possible to write without a glossary by letting the actions and characters define the words for the reader.

Because my reason is to make my people known, the reader has to come and find out more about us; we should not give the critical reader everything.

That's my mind speaking.

[Peter Kranz]

Most PNG writers are fluent in at least three languages. Surely there is room for all? There are reading audiences at local, national and international level.

Yes English will reach the greater audience, but don't forget the smaller groups.

In fact a truly great writer could excel in all three spheres.