Speak pidgin, anyone?

No, I don't mean speak pigeon. Who wants to speak to a bird anyway? If you still don't know what I am talking about perhaps this movie poster might help.

I am not reviewing this movie either but I am rather fascinated by Captain Jack Sparrow's love-affair with this pidgin word "savvy'. I thought that since Jack Sparrow is such an uber-cool pirate, he should have a suave saying that goes with his persona and "savvy" is close to suave, right?! No, no, no... I am JUST KIDDING. Commonsense will tell you what it meant. Understand, comprehendo?! Ok. Let's move on.

So, I discovered further that the word "savvy" is a mix between English and the Portuguese word "sabe". Hmmm...now does that make Singlish, Manglish and Spanglish pidgin too?! Well, unfortunately they aren't. You see, pidgin is a contact language created by European merchants back in the Middle Ages to communicate with the locals or other foreign traders. It is like a second language. Singlish, Manglish & Spanglish hardly qualify because it maybe incomprehensible to those outside it's own community. Can you imagine if I said, "Don't play-play" (Singlish phrase made popular by Singaporean Phua Chu Kang) when I really meant "Please be serious" to a Caucasian American or British?! Awkward....

However, there's a light at the end of the tunnel for some Chinese originated pidgin words or rather Chinglish. You might be interested to know:

• long time no see (everyone says that so no problem here)
• no can do (like that Cool and the Gang song, I forgot the title ?)
• no-go (we use that all the time in everyday American English)
  

Now, let me thank Wikipedia & Webster for helping me fully understand pidgin...SAVVY?!