The completive

[BURTON John]

Mihalicers

As everyone knows "pinis" expresses a completed action ("mi mekim pinis"
etc) as its cognates do in the other Pacific Pidgins. However, a bit of
uncertainty surrounds the use of "bin" ("mi bin mekim" etc). One eminent
source even attributes its spread to its use by English-speaking (Tolai)
radio announcers in the Rabaul area in the 1970s.

I suggest this is groundless and that "bin" was present at the birth of
these pidgins in the 1840-60s. A clue is that "bin" is the usual completive
marker in Torres Strait Creole. The earliest point at which this language
can have began to diverge was 1863 when William Banner started a
beche-de-mer station on Warrior (Tudu) Island, employing 70 South Sea
Islanders, all speakers of Pacific Pidgin English. By 1870, short sentences
from local headmen are quoted in government reports and it is clear that PPE
was in use in a stable form in the Torres Strait. Thus, "bin" in PPE's local
successor, Torres Strait Creole, very likely dates to that period.

What do list subscribers feel about "bin" in Tok Pisin? When is "bin"
preferred to "pinis"?

John Burton