Editing Pidgin (section)

== Terminology ==
The word ''pidgin'', formerly also spelled ''pigion'',<ref name="etymonline"/> was first applied to [[Chinese Pidgin English]], but was later generalized to refer to any pidgin.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Bakker|1994|p=25}}</ref> ''Pidgin'' may also be used as the specific name for local pidgins or [[Creole language|creoles]], in places where they are spoken. For example, the name of the creole language [[Tok Pisin]] derives from the English words ''talk pidgin''. Its speakers usually refer to it simply as "pidgin" when speaking English.<ref>Smith, Geoff P. ''Growing Up with Tok Pisin: Contact, creolization, and change in Papua New Guinea's national language''. London: Battlebridge. 2002. p. 4.</ref><ref>Thus the published court reports of Papua New Guinea refer to Tok Pisin as "Pidgin": see for example ''Schubert v The State'' [1979] PNGLR 66.</ref> Likewise, [[Hawaiian Creole English]] is commonly referred to by its speakers as "Pidgin".

The term ''jargon'' has also been used to refer to pidgins, and is found in the names of some pidgins, such as [[Chinook Jargon]]. In this context, linguists today use ''jargon'' to denote a particularly rudimentary type of pidgin;<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Bakker|1994|pp=25–26}}</ref> however, this usage is rather rare, and the term ''[[jargon]]'' most often means the specialized vocabulary of some profession.

Pidgins may start out as or become [[trade languages]], such as [[Tok Pisin]]. Trade languages can eventually evolve into fully developed languages in their own right, such as [[Swahili language|Swahili]], distinct from the languages they were originally influenced by. Trade languages and pidgins can also influence an established language's [[vernacular]], especially amongst people who are directly involved in a trade where that pidgin is commonly used, which can alternatively result in a [[regional dialect]] being developed.{{fact|date=April 2024}}