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The "no" thing sounds more of a European construct than pidgin. I mean, you can hear it at the end of, "That's a big house, no?" But not so much, "Big da house, no?" Except when doing some kind of bizarre Russian-Japanese impression or something.
I can see, maybe, it being some weird adaptation of the "ka" suffix in Japanese, but I figure the more likely result would be "ne" not "no."
Sure, pidgin can be just about anything, and individual families probably have all kinds of weird quirks (which I suspect this is). But I'm pretty sure you won't find your "no" assertion in "Pidgin to da Max" or a Lee Tonouchi book.
I've heard it amongst members of the AF's family, who've been five generations in Kane`ohe. One auntie used to say it all the time, which drove her high-school English-teacher brother crazy. Nikkejin, so maybe it is based on the "ka" suffix after all.
Erm. Are they Bulgarian mobsters? The "no" thing sounds more of a European construct than pidgin. I mean, you can hear it at the end of, "That's a big house, no?" But not so much, "Big da house, no?" Except when doing some kind of bizarre Russian-Japanese impression or something.
I can see, maybe, it being some weird adaptation of the "ka" suffix in Japanese, but I figure the more likely result would be "ne" not "no."
Sure, pidgin can be just about anything, and individual families probably have all kinds of weird quirks (which I suspect this is). But I'm pretty sure you won't find your "no" assertion in "Pidgin to da Max" or a Lee Tonouchi book.
Could be a family style holdover if her Gran type relatives (great and/or great-greats) were some of the folks that went into the fur-trade back in the day, then went back home after the work faded.
'Na' (or more properly 'ina') at the end of a word or statement turns it into a yes/no answer type question. At that time the local Northwest Canada trader's pidgin was a mix of Ojibwe (Chippewa), Cree, French, English and Hawaiian...depending on which company and where the location was. The 'na?' could easily have morphed into 'no?' when it got brought back home.
I have to confess, I have picked up a word and a phrase or two from the AF & her family, which slips into my speech without trying --- I'll catch myself saying " 'kay den, all pau," for example. Pidgin is infectious, once it starts making sense to you - but I'm still not going to try to speak it intentionally. That way lies danger.
*POOF!* He magically appears - he posts - he vanishes again *POOF!*The Amazing Lurkah, ladies and gents! Sorry if you missed him --- he's back to living up to his name.
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