Bislama-the pidgin English language of Vanuatu

文章大意

本文介绍瓦努阿图使用的皮金英语——比斯拉马语。该国人口仅20万，却拥有106种第一语言，其中英语为官方教育语言，但比斯拉马语使用最广，超九成人口日常使用。文章讲述其起源：19世纪外国商人到来，本地人做水手，多语种船只上需要共同语言，皮金英语由此诞生，并随檀香木贸易传播。

题目与答案

1. Language in Vanuatu

   Local languages: Actively spoken languages: 81

   Declining languages: 17

   31_____ languages: 8

   答案：extinct

   原文定位：There are a further seventeen local languages that are in danger of dying out and eight that have been identified as extinct

   同义替换：「declining」↔「dying out」

2. Total: 106

   Foreign languages: English is used in the 32_____ system

   答案：education

   原文定位：English is the most important and has official status, largely because it is the medium for all education purposes

3. Bislama

   It is spoken by 90% of the population today.

   In the past this language was described as 33_____ .

   答案：broken

   原文定位：In fact, for many years it was commonly referred to as a broken language and its use was discouraged

   同义替换：「In the past」↔「in earlier times」，「described」↔「referred to」

4. History of Bislama

   Around 1800 it was used as a common language on many ships.

   After 1860 Vanuatu people worked in Australian 34_____ .

   答案：plantation

   原文定位：Then from about eighteen sixty, a lot of people from Vanuatu traveled to Australia to work on the new plantation as laborers

5. After 1950 people moved to the 35_____ .

   答案：city

   原文定位：from about the nineteen fifties, Vanuatu experienced a significant migration of its people from small villages into the city

   同义替换：「people moved to」↔「migration」

6. Description of Bislama

   General

   Bislama should be called a 36_____ pidgin.

   答案：developed

   原文定位：linguists prefer to describe Bislama as a developed pidgin

   同义替换：「called」↔「describe」

7. Vocabulary

   Most words come from English.

   Words such as “from” may have more 37_____ in Bislama.

   答案：meanings

   原文定位：we need to be aware that words can have a wider range of meanings in Bislama

   同义替换：「may have more」↔「wider range of」

8. Less than 10% of words are of 38_____ origin.

   答案：French

   原文定位：there are some words, around five to ten percent, that are derived from French

   同义替换：「origin」↔「derived from」

9. Pacific words describe the natural world and also local 39_____ .

   答案：culture

   原文定位：Usually, this is the case where there is no English equivalent for naturally occurring phenomena or to describe some aspect of the culture that is unique to the country

   同义替换：「world」↔「phenomena」

10. Grammar

    It is based on Vanuatu languages.

    The word “long” acts as an important 40_____ in Bislama.

    答案：preposition

    原文定位：A different example concerns the word long. It is almost the only preposition in Bislama

    同义替换：「acts as an important」↔「almost the only」