Glossary · Term

Tok Pisin

Tok Pisin is an English-based creole language spoken across Papua New Guinea and one of its official languages. It grew from the pidgin used on plantations in Samoa, Queensland and New Guinea in the 19th century, with words also drawn from German, Malay and local languages. Today it is the country's most widely used language and the first language of many urban families.

Tok Pisin
Image: Wikitongues, Teddy Nee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Territory of Papua and New Guinea

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tok Pisin. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tok-pisin
MLA
“Tok Pisin.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tok-pisin. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Tok Pisin.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tok-pisin.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tok Pisin’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tok-pisin (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻