Pidgin
WordNet
noun
(1) An artificial language used for trade between speakers of different languages
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From pigeon English, from a Chinese attempt to pronounce the English word business during trades in the Far East.
Noun
- an amalgamation of two disparate languages, used by two populations having no common language as a lingua franca to communicate with each other, lacking formalized grammar and having a small, utilitarian vocabulary and no native speakers.
- Middle English likely began as a pidgin between the Norman invaders and the Anglo-Saxon-speaking (Old English) occupants of Britain. Otherwise, how could they have gotten any business done?