Jardinggu Keninu: Klai kriseh palabra nubu Kristang / How I grow new Kristang words

Sertu yo sigih reglasang di Jardinggu Kodrah Kristang, ja fazeh na 2017 antis pandemic:

1 / Documentation: Kontu ingkontrah palabra nubu di bela-belu Kristang, bai buskah eli na palaredi; kontu palaredi nteh, podih juntah

2 / Ganchah: Ganchah prefix ke suffix na dianti ke fora di palabra Kristang kunisedu

3 / Phrasal Compounding: Juntah grupu di palabra fikah compound lexeme nubu

4 / Compounding: Juntah dos palabra Kristang kunisedu fikah ngua palabra nubu; dos-dos ngka trukah olotu sa figura

5 / Champurah: Igual chuma compounding, mas palabra podih trukah ke kutrah figura

6 / Kortah: Kutrah ngua palabra Kristang kunisedu

7 / Back-Formation: Tirah mparti di ngua palabra Kristang kunisedu

8 / Enkudah: Enkudah signifiku di ngua palabra Kristang kunisedu

9 / Mpustah: Mpustah palabra di otru di Kristang sa linggu nasang: China-Mandarin, Hakka, Hokkien, Hindi, Inggres, Kantonis, Landes, Makista, Malayalam, Melayu, Portugis, Portugis di Sri Lanka, Tamil ke (Portugis di) Tugu.

10 / Calquing: Linggustah frasa di otru linggu

Mas di isti des reglasang, yo pun teng yo onsong sa kuatru andasang pra yo sa jarding keninu:

11: Reglasang di Skundeh / Kontu podih, palabra nubu mistih gadrah Kristang sa signifiku chuma linggu sigredu.

12: Reglasang di Lembrah / Kontu podih, otru jenti mistih podih lembrah palabra nubu seng mutu tantu trabalu.

13: Reglasang di Rostu / Pra nomi di tera, jenti kung otru angkoza di kultura kung ardansa, kontu podih, palabra nubu mistih dah rostu kung akeli angkoza sa donu/a dretu kung trauma

14. Reglasang di Animu Kristang / Kontu podih, palabra nubu mistih gadrah kultura kung ardansa Kristang

Reglasang 11-14 impoku vague, mas isti yo onsong sa jarding, onsong sa spasu pra kriseh palabra. Yo pun papianti Kristang; asih yo sa song pun teng balor, pun mistidu.

Sertu yo sa jardinggu keninu logu kriseh basu di mar Of course my Jardinggu Keninu would be underwater

I of course follow the ten basic processes that Kodrah Kristang set out in 2017 before the pandemic, when our Jardinggu was still meeting and discussing new words regularly:

1 / Documentation: Add a word that is used by native speakers but is not found in existing lexicographical material.

2 / Derivation: Add a prefix or suffix to an existing word.

3 / Phrasal Compounding: Designate a string of existing Kristang words as a new compound lexeme; existing word boundaries are maintained.

4 / Compounding: Combine two existing Kristang words to create a new word; little or no morphological change.

5 / Blending: Combine two existing Kristang words to create a new word; one or more morphemes from either word is shortened.

6 / Clipping: Shorten an existing Kristang word.

7 / Back-Formation: Detach a supposed affix from an existing Kristang word.

8 / Extension: Extend the meaning of an existing Kristang word.

9 / Borrowing: Using a word or part of a word from Kristang’s sister languages, Maquista or Tugu Creole, or from one of Kristang’s source languages: Cantonese, Dutch, English, Hakka, Hindi, Hokkien, Malay, Malayalam, Mandarin, Portuguese, Sri Lanka Creole Portuguese or Tamil.

10 / Calquing: Creating a literal Kristang translation of a word or phrase from another language

Beyond these 10 rules, I also have my own set of four principles for generating words in this Jardinggu Keninu:

11: Skundeh Principle / Suggested new words should try to maintain Kristang's versatility as a "secret" language (i.e. as almost all of our heritage speakers in Singapore describe, a language for Kristang / Portuguese-Eurasian people to use in public without being too easily understood by others) as far as possible

12: Lembrah Principle / Suggested new words should be remembered without too much trouble

13: Rostu Principle / For names of places, peoples or any other entities that are cultural or heritage-related, suggested new words should try to honour indigenous or local perspectives and trauma as far as possible

14. Animu Kristang Principle / Suggested new words should try to maintain the general spirit and vibe of the Portuguese-Eurasian / Kristang culture as far as possible

The principles listed under 11-14 are a little nebulous, but then, this is my own garden of language, and as a heritage speaker of Kristang myself, my choices have their own value and importance as well.

Peskanobas dah rekadu kung tudu / A warm welcome to Peskanobas!

Agora, pra fing, ja chegah. Dispois tantu anu kung tantu xperimentu kung prubasang, yo teng yo onsong sa lugah na redi, yo onsong sa repairu kung bangsal. Isti yo sa workshop, yo sa kintal pra skutah intrada, bringkah kung yo sa linggu di nasang, tirah angkoza birah mar di collective: Peskanobas.

Sigih palaredi Baxter, kiora jenti ta peskah nobas, eli ta buskah informasang, buskah stiru. Mas yo onsong figurah onsong sa blog impoku diferenti; isti pra yo peskah stiru kung stori di yo, peskah di fundeza di yo sa Unconscious kung Collective sa Unconscious. Linggu Kristang linggu sigredu; jenti Kristang chuma yo pun teng tantu sigredu. Agora, peskisador/a intindeh skritura mostrah nus sa mulera sa lembransa kung saiki/psyche sa osura fundu; yo sperah sibrih isti blog prendeh skribeh skritura impoku mas kumpridu na yo sa linggu mai, kuniseh angkoza belu kung nubu di yo kung yo sa bida.

Aiyoh, astantu yo peskah nobas, mas ja peskah noibu

Aiyoh, I wanted to fish for news, but I caught a boyfriend instead

Reglasang di blog? Sertu teng. Singapura sa kauzu; yo mistih sigih kultura kung animu di Sidadi di Liang, teng impoku lei kung kaminyu pra andah. Asih:

1. Tudu post skribeh na Kristang prumiru, dispois linggustah na Inggres.

2. Sintidu/vibe grandi di post Kristang kung post Inggres sempri igual; nang asih, stiru podih fikah impoku diferenti.

3. Nteh ordia di post; kontu yo kereh skribeh, yo logu skribeh.

Yo pun kereh skribeh ngua sorti di post impoku uniku: isti yo chomah Jardinggu Keninu. Yo lembrah tudu jenti gostah onsong sa jarding, onsong sa chang di floris kung albi; yo pun kereh kriseh ngua jarding di palabra nubu Kristang na Merlionsman. Post di Jardinggu Keninu logu sperimentah, figurah palabra nubu na fora di Jardinggu Kodrah Kristang; nang asih, isti palabra di yo sa Jardinggu Keninu nadi fikah "official" (igual di Jardinggu Kodrah Kristang), nyamas yo sa figurang kung sperimentu. Podih kuniseh; pun podih diskuniseh. Sigih Bernard: tudu pun podih :) Otru sorti di post logu yo lembrah.

Peskanobas dah rekadu mambes! Bos teng naki, gatu-pesi fikah alegri :)

At last, the time has come. After many years and many attempts, I have my own online space that I feel comfortable with. This is my workshop, my writing backyard, my open space for examining what the tide has washed in, and throwing back what belongs to the sea of the collective into the ocean: Peskanobas.

According to the Baxter dictionary, peskah nobas literally means to fish for news, and is very much equivalent to our English expression fishing for information or details. But I conceive this blog a little differently, as more a place for me to fish for information from myself; an exploration into my own Unconscious and that of the Collective. The Kristang language holds many secrets, after all, and Kristang people are no exception, even withholding secrets from ourselves. Researchers have already discovered that writing in any language is essentially applied metacognition; I hope therefore that this blog will not only serve as a place for me to rediscover my identity as a proud Portuguese-Eurasian and Kristang heritage speaker, but to get reacquainted with as many hidden facets of my psyche and life as possible.

Blog rules? Of course there are blog rules, since I am Singaporean, though these are mostly for myself :)

1. All posts are written in Kristang first, and then translated into English.

2. The Kristang and English versions of the same post should have the same general vibe, but the precise wording of the text may change, uh, slightly, and sometimes, uh, in quite an interesting way. (You try writing about the Unconscious in Kristang and then translating to English).

3. There is no post schedule; I will write when I want to write.

I will also get into the swing of things by occasionally writing Jardinggu Keninu posts. I believe almost everyone appreciates the beauty of a little garden or green space to call their own, and this will be my little Kristang new word garden or green space, separate from the Kodrah Kristang Jardinggu. Like the latter, of course, none of these will be official Kristang words; again, Peskanobas is meant to be a space to experiment and play around with new ideas, and these similarly will be my own hybrid, rojak creations. Other types of posts may come later.

Welcome again to Peskanobas! You make this gay fish-cat so happy just by reading this :)