Algonquian–Basque pidgin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Algonquian–Basque pidgin
Region	Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Era	16th to 18th century
Language family	Basque-based pidgin
Basque (both French and Spanish) and Breton fishing sites in 16th and 17th centuries.

A pidgin is a simplified way of speaking. People use it when they don't share a common language. It helps them communicate for specific tasks, like trading. The Algonquian–Basque pidgin was a special language mix. It was used by Basque whalers and different Algonquian peoples in North America. This happened around the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. People spoke this pidgin from about 1580 until 1635. It was last recorded in 1711.

The Basque people met different First Nations groups. They got along well with the Montagnais and the St. Lawrence Iroquoians. They also knew about the Inuit. The Basque people thought the Inuit were not friendly. They called these groups the Montaneses, the Canaleses, and the Esquimoas.

Words We Know

This pidgin language used words from both Basque and Algonquian languages. It also borrowed some words from other languages. Here are some examples of words used in the pidgin:

How They Spoke

People used simple sentences to talk to each other. These sentences often mixed words from different languages. Here are some examples of phrases from the Algonquian–Basque pidgin:

See also

In Spanish: Pidgin vasco-algonquino para niños

• Basque–Icelandic pidgin