Solombala English
Extinct Russian-English pidgin language
Solombala English, or Solombala English-Russian Pidgin, (Russian: Соломбальский английский язык, romanized: Solombalskij anglijskij jazyk) is a pidgin derived from both English and Russian. It was spoken in the port of Solombala, in the city of Arkhangelsk, Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries. According to Yelena Perekhvalskaya, the pidgin may have started forming as early as the 17th century.
The known Solombala-English corpus consists of only two short 19th-century texts: one in Очерки Архангельской губернии (Essays from Arkhangelsk Governorate) by Vasilij Vereščagin from 1849, and one in Архангельские Губернские Ведомости (Arkhangelsk Governorate News) from 1867. Mentions of the pidgin are also found in the works of Mikhail Prishvin (early 20th century).
A possible connection is noted between Solombala English and Russenorsk (a Russian-Norwegian pidgin used in trade between Russian Pomors and Norwegians in the 19th and early 20th centuries). In particular, both pidgins use the suffix -(o)mъ as a verb marker, which may also reflect the influence of Finno-Ugric languages.
01Sample phrases
| Source | Phrase in pidgin (Latin alphabet) | Phrase in pidgin (Cyrillic alphabet) | Word-for-word English translation | English translation | Russian translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Верещагин 1849:
406-407 |
Vat ju vanted, asej! | Ватъ ю вантетъ, асей! | What you want, sailor! | What do you want, sailor! | Чего ты хочешь, матрос? | |
| Верещагин 1849: 407 | Baem buč, šus, asej! Kom sjuda! Veri gud buč, šus. | Баемъ бучь, шусь, асей! Комъ сюда! Вери гудъ бучь, шусь! | Buy boots, shoes, sailor! Come here! Very good boots, shoes. | Buy shoes, shoes, sailor! Come here! Very good shoes. | Купи обувь, обувь, матрос! Иди сюда! Очень хорошая обувь. | In the original: шусь |
| Верещагин 1849: 407 | Asej, asej! Daj tu kopejki! | Асей, асей! Дай ту копѣйки! | Sailor, sailor! Give me two copecks! | Sailor, sailor! Give me some money! | Матрос, матрос! Дай мне копейки! | In the original: Дай ту копѣйки!, i.e., possibly "give two kopecks"; the word ту is italicized in the original |
| Прушакевич 1867 | Asej? Kom milek drinkom. | Sailor? Come milk drink. | Sailor? Come and drink some milk. | Матрос? Заходи молока выпей. | Invitation to a brothel | |
| Прушакевич 1867 | O! Yez! Bol’še dobra mačka. | Oh! Yes! Very good much. | Oh! Yes! Very, very good. | О! Да! Очень хорошо. | ||
| Прушакевич 1867 | Asej, asej, smotrom, bol’še dobra sunduk, vervvel’ skripim, gut verstom. | Sailor, sailor, look very good chest, very-good lock, good key. | Sailor, sailor, look, it’s a very good chest, a very good lock, a good key. | Матрос, матрос, смотри, большой добрый сундук, очень хороший замок, хороший ключ. |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Solombala English”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.