Melaleuka : a history and description of New South Wales pidgin

Abstract

This thesis is about the genesis and development of the first pidgin English in Australia, called here New South Wales Pidgin. It presents a detailed analysis of the history of the language and a diachronic analysis of developments in the grammar and lexicon of the language. 'Melaleuka' refers to the model devised for the purposes of this thesis to explain the hypothesis on which the work is premised—that NSW Pidgin existed in two dialect forms. The time frame addressed is from the late eighteenth century when the language had its inception to the middle of the nineteenth century when it was consolidated. The geographical area of study encompasses the states of New South Wales and Victoria. The area was known as the colony of New South Wales until the middle of the nineteenth century.