Hugo Schuchardt Archiv

Prof. Schuchardt
Graz
British consulate Noumea
Sept 19^th 1889

My dear Sir,

your letter of 13^th July just to hand. I thank you very much for your kind exertions on my behalf with Mons. De Kimakowiz. I felt sure some error had occurred in despatching the shells, & that caused their detention. He can send little boxes weighing up to 250 grammes, not fastened except by string.For 25 centimes (or the equivalent in your money) = 5 cent. for every 50 grams. By this post I send 1 to Masala, & have received 6! M. de Kimakowiz’ shells have not yet come, but I will not delay answering your enquiries about the Bèche-le-mar jargon.

Again let me assure you there is no method in it. It is simply stringing together a few words known to the natives, and all depends on the ingenuity of the stringer for making his meaning clear – for instance – My son was expected home by one, he made a long passage, & we were anxious about him. One of our “boys” said enquiringly – “p’raps boat belong Mister Leo, him savey walk along bottom” – meaning, he thought the steamer in which my son was had gone to the bottom. A lady sent me a cap with a piece in it wh |2| prevents the moustache from being wetted when drinking. This novelty was a great amusement to my “boys”, one of whom remarked when he was shewn the use of it – “Keep clean master’s white grass”! white grass = white hair!!

Now I will answer your questions seriatim.

1. The jargon with the greatest mixture of English is [...] used by the New Hebrides natives working on the plantations, because they have acquired English and from working in Fiji & Queensland, & it is that form that prevails throughout the N. Hebrides Islands, whence most of the “boys” come. It is found also in the Banks Isd & the Solomon I. but the less frequented the island, the less known is the jargon, of course. The natives of N. Caledonia work very little in the plantations; they mingle [...] French and with the jargon according as they mix much or little, with the French settlers, or officials.

2. Why do they call it Bêche-le-mar English? The whole affair – name as well as language is at the [...] of the speaker. It isi called “Bêche-le-mar” or “Beech de mer” or any sound that strikes the speaker as like the sound he has heard another use. It is derived from the |3| Portuguese name of the Holothuria, or sea slug, eaten by the Chinese. Its name among the rough men Portuguese at first sailors &c, who gathered it, & who did not know what it was, was Bicho-do-mar = beast of the sea (in Chinese “trepang”.) As it was gatherd on the “Beach”, or reefs, the people who collected it were called “Beach-combers” (= rakers). Many of these rough men, enticed by the licence & mode of life of the savages, settled among them, & to them the name of “Beach Comber” clung; then it gradually came to include all the riff-raff [...], that floated to Fiji, gather native islands, & “Beach-comber” became the name of [...] for the whole lot of ruffians – “white trash” – as they are called in America.

3. The number of English in N. Cal. – Of course the great bulk of the population is French, but there are many English. As usual they have led the way in most entreprises for instance I got some time ago a “Return” of the number of small vessels in the coasting trade of the Colony, there were 29 of these 25 were owned by foreigners (i.e. not Frenchmen) of the 25 – 21 were English!!! |4| There are many English merchants & shopkeepers in the towns & many “stations” are owned by English & the English capital in the colony is very large – it is they who floated the mining industry & there are many English miners. It is they who have floated the gas company, &c., &c. but of course the bulk of the population is French, & now that the govt are trying to settle the liberated convicts in the island, it will become greater. I have not taken the convict population into account; they exceed the free by about 6 to 1.

4. “Him fellow, all same man-a-bush”. That would be the proper punctuation of the sentence. It means – That man is a fool – or a savage – all who know little – “man-a-bush” (i.e. a bushman or dweller in the interior) is a term of opprobrium applied by the Coast natives of the N. Hebrides, to those living in the mountains & interior of their islands, meaning that they are not so intelligent as they (the coast people) are!! If one of the ‘boys’ does a stupid thing, & I want to scold him, I say “oh you man-a-bush! What for you do that .” You say you can’t understand how the singular plural are mingled together – It is because as I have endeavoured to impress in you, that there is neither method, or grammar, in the jargon. |5| my ‘boys’ will say. “Knife him sharp” – or “Knife all sharp” – to express the same thing, whether he held one knife or twenty, in his hand.

5. You can’t make out the word for “Handkerchief”. Let me see if I can make it clear to you this time. It is a pure native word, which seems common in all the islands, it is MANU MANU¹. There! Will that help you!! I never heard that there were any Chinese words in the language. French & Polynesian may be used, as the speaker & listener understand the one or the other. For instance “kai-kai” is a native word, and is used for “food” or “to eat” indiscriminately; while “savey” is a French word (savez vous = do you know). “Savez” is a word used all over the world. But “callaboos” deserves a little explanation. This word is West African, & is used among the slaves & West Indian “niggers” – I suspect it came down here from Bourbon thru’ the French creoles, as it is not in use except where French prevails – it is not used in Fiji. There a word is used signifying “the House of Tying” I [...] [...] used.

Now I have answered all your questions & I hope you will fully understand. I shall at all |6| times to read, to explain further if [...]. You ask for various sentences from the mouth of my “boys”. I have given you two. Here is another. My cook married & left Noumean – later she returned, my boys rushed off to see her & came back delighted she, told my present cook “he” – “he plenty fat!!” “Him gown no stop” (suiting the action to the word, & indicating that her dress would not meet in front) “Piccanini him come”!! Meaning that a child was coming – that she was in the family-way. My boy has this instant come in to ask for “srou belong bockis” (box). I know he wants the screw-driver to open a box at which my son is hammering, as he bends his hand down as if in the act of prising open the lid, but it might apply to half a dozen other “srous”, a tradawl or chisel for instance!

No! my dear Professor you can’t make any thing of this jargon – anything scientific I mean – rules-grammar-system!! None. It reminds me of the old story of “one-eyed Geordie”, who was put up by the savants of Edinburgh, to talk the language of signs, with the celebrated Spanish ambassador!! If you don’t know it, I will write it to you some day, but it is a long yarn.

Ever yours sincerely
E.L. Layard