Cristão or Papiá Kristang, Português de Malaca (Malacca Portuguese), or simply papia is a Creole language based in Portuguese in a Malay grammatical structure spoken in Malacca, Malaysia and in Singapore. The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. ... National motto: Majulah Singapura (English: Onward, Singapore) Official languages English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil Capital Singapore Largest city Singapore Government President Prime minister Westminster (de jure) Dominant-party (de facto) Sellapan Rama Nathan Lee Hsien Loong Area  - Total  - Water (%) 697. ... This page attempts to present a list of languages by total native speakers. ... Human Language Families Most languages are known to belong to language families (families hereforth). ... This article is primarily about the language. ... This is a list of bodies that regulate languages. ... ISO 639 is one of several international standards that lists short codes for language names. ... SIL International is a non-profit, faith-based, scientific organization with the main purpose to study, develop and document lesser-known languages for the purpose of expanding linguistic knowledge, promoting world literacy and aiding minority language development. ... As with any complex, emergent concept, language is somewhat resistant to definition. ... This list of languages is alphabetical by English name. ... A creole is a language descended from a pidgin that has become the native language of a group of people. ... Portuguese (português) is a Romance language predominantly spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor. ... The Malay language, also known locally as Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who are native to the Malay peninsula, southern Thailand, Singapore and parts of Sumatra. ... Malacca is also the name of the largest village on Car Nicobar, the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. ... The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. ... National motto: Majulah Singapura (English: Onward, Singapore) Official languages English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil Capital Singapore Largest city Singapore Government President Prime minister Westminster (de jure) Dominant-party (de facto) Sellapan Rama Nathan Lee Hsien Loong Area  - Total  - Water (%) 697. ...

As the Portuguese are devout Catholics, Papia Cristão - the name of the language and culture - means both "Roman Catholic" as well as "to talk christian". Other synonyms for the Portuguese community are "Serani" (short for Malay "nasrani") - meaning followers of Jesus the Nazarene; and "Gragok" (slang term for Malau "Geragau" or shrimp) - as the Malaccan Portuguese were traditionally fishermen who fished shrimp. The community is known, by themselves, as Gente Kristang (from broken Portuguese: Gente Cristão, Port. Gente Cristã, Eng. Christian People). The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... This article is about the figure known by both Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ. For other usages, see Jesus (disambiguation). ...

History

One common misconception is that the Portuguese first arrived in Malacca in 1511. In fact, an expeditionary party first landed in 1507. It is recorded in the "Sejarah Melayu" that they were mistaken to be "Bengali Puteh" (White Bengalis). The story goes the landing party insulted the Malaccan sultan by placing a garland of flowers over his head, and had them detained. The second wave came in 1511 in an armada of ships from India to free the landing party. Currently, the Malaccan Portuguese enjoy the status of being "semi-bumiputra" - which means they are half-natives, one step lower than the indgenous Malays. Events Diego Velázquez and Hernán Cortés conquer Cuba; Velázquez appointed Governor. ... Events The western continent is named America on the maps of Martin Waldseemüller. ... Garland is the name of two places in the United States: the city of Garland, Texas the town of Garland, North Carolina Garland is the surname of actress Judy Garland, best known for her role in The Wizard of Oz, and mother of Liza Minnelli. ... The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ...

Another misconception is that the all Portuguese in Singapore came from Malacca. Not quite, as some came from the former Portugues Goa.

Papia Kristang is a Portuguese creole among many Portuguese creole that exist in Portuguese satellite communities worldwide (including Timor Leste, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Daman, Sri Lanka, Macau, and Angola). The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor, is an island nation in Southeast Asia, consisting of the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, a political exclave of East Timor situated on the western side of... Cape Verde ( Portuguese: Cabo Verde) is a republic located on an archipelago of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa. ... The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country on the Atlantic coast of western Africa. ... Daman and Diu is a union territory in India. ... The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්රී ලංකා in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil) (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. ... National motto: none Official languages Cantonese and Portuguese Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah Area  - Total  - % water (Not ranked) 27. ... Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zambia, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Following the take-over of Malacca (Malaysia) in 1511, the Portuguese were encouraged to marry local women. A Portuguese-based Creole was shaped and is still spoken today by more than 5,000 Christians. The Sultanate of Malacca (1402 - 1511) was a Malay sultanate founded by Parameswara, a Srivijayan prince who escaped the Majapahit capture of Palembang. ... The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. ... Events Diego Velázquez and Hernán Cortés conquer Cuba; Velázquez appointed Governor. ...

Even though Portugal lost Malacca and almost all contact in 1641, the Gente Kristang maintained its traditions, religion and language almost unharmed, which is a curiosity and unique in the world; the cultural and linguistic link with today's Portugal (especially, Minho region), is astonishing. Because of some aspects of their language and culture, some Malaysians still refer to the Portuguese-Malay Eurasian community as 'Portuguese'. Events The Long Parliament passes a series of legislation designed to contain Charles Is absolutist tendencies. ...

Classification and related languages

Creole - Portuguese-based A creole is a language descended from a pidgin that has become the native language of a group of people. ... This article is primarily about the language. ...

Kristang is very close to Malay in its grammatical construction, but its vocabulary is 95% derived from Portuguese.

Although vernacular Kristang is based on Malay grammar and has many Malay words in it, it could be understood by speakers of Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Kriolu. Due to this, some people do not consider it a creole, but rather a Portuguese dialect. The Malay language, also known locally as Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who are native to the Malay peninsula, southern Thailand, Singapore and parts of Sumatra. ... Portuguese (português) is a Romance language predominantly spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor. ... Cape Verde ( Portuguese: Cabo Verde) is a republic located on an archipelago of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa. ...

The most related creoles are Patuá, and the Indo-Portuguese Creoles of India and Sri Lanka. The extinct creoles of Indonesia and the pidgin of East Timor were also directly related. Patuá or Macanese (Macaista Chapado) is a Creole language based on the Portuguese language spoken in Macau. ... The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ... The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්රී ලංකා in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil) (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. ... The Republic of Indonesia, the worlds largest archipelago, is located between the Southeast Asian peninsula and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ... The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor, is an island nation in Southeast Asia, consisting of the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, a political exclave of East Timor situated on the western side of...

However, their language is not taught in schools, although in there are still some church services in Portuguese.

Geographic distribution

About 80% of the older residents of the Portuguese settlement in Malacca regularly speak Kristang. There are also some speakers in today's Singapore and Kuala Lumpur due to emigration. National motto: Majulah Singapura (English: Onward, Singapore) Official languages English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil Capital Singapore Largest city Singapore Government President Prime minister Westminster (de jure) Dominant-party (de facto) Sellapan Rama Nathan Lee Hsien Loong Area  - Total  - Water (%) 697. ... Kuala Lumpurs landmark, the PETRONAS Twin Towers Kuala Lumpur (Jawi:كوالا لمبور) is the largest city in Malaysia and the capital of the federation. ...

It is also spoken by some immigrants and their descendants in Malaysia's and Singapore's former metropoli, United Kingdom, where some settled after independence. Also Australia, in particular the city of Perth, is a popular destination for retirees in the community. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the British Commonwealth and European Union. ... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/ Oceania. ... Perth is the name of several towns and cities: Perth, Scotland is the original Perth, after which the others are named, and the administrative town of the region of Perth and Kinross in Scotland. ...

In Pulau Tikus there were more speakers in 1997 than in 1987.

Dialects

Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Tikus and Singapore.

Sounds

Grammar

Another feature is the word "ja" (i.e. already) to indicate all past tenses, and "ta"(from 'esta', which means "is") to indicate all present continuous tenses and "logu" to indicate future tense.

A peculiarity of the language is the pronoun "Yo" (meaning "I") which is used in Spanish and Sicilian.

The leading expert in this field is Monsignior Manuel Texeira (also known respectfully as the "Old Man of Macau"), who has written some volumes on the subject.

Vocabulary

One feature of the kristang language is the inverted "r". For example, the Portuguese word "Gordo" (meaning "fat") is pronounced "Godro" in kristang.

The digraph "ch" is pronounced as in "cheese" to accommodate and be inline with a host of malay words that begin with "ch". Thus the soft "ch" in "chegar" and "chuva" is prounounced "chegak" and "chu" in a malay way. This way of pronunciation occurs in Northern Portugal dialects and related Portuguese Creoles, and it could be the real origin. Many Portuguese words have been simplified in kristang to avoid confusion and to accommodate a peranakan/malay speaking environment in old Melaka. Thus "Padrinho" and "Madrinha" (Godfather and Godmother) in Portuguese is simplified to "inyu" and "inya" in kristang.

Writing system

As there were no proper schools, kristang was passed down orally and attempts at a kristang orthography began only in the 1990's with Joan Marbeck's book "Ungua Andanza" (available in Malacca).

Examples

Thank You: Mutu Merseh (Port. Muito Obrigado)

How Are You?, Teng Bong? (From Port. Estás bom?)

Good Morning, Bong Pamiang (From Port. Boa Manhã)

Good Afternoon: Bong Midia (From Port. Bom Meio-dia)

Good Evening: Bong Atadi (From Port. Boa Tarde)

Good Night: Bong Anuti (From Port. Boa Noite)

Me: yo (From Port. eu)

You (singular): bos (From Port. vós)

You (plural): bolotudu (From Port. vós todos, vocês todos)

Mother: mai (From Port. mãe)

Father: pai (From Port. pai)

Wife: muleh (From Port. mulher)

Husband: maridu (From Port. marido)

Old Women: bela (From Port. velha)

Old Man: belu (From Port. velho)

Little one: Quenino or Kenino (From Port. Pequenino)

Fat: godru (From Port. gordo)

Beautiful: Bonitu (From Port. bonito)

Party: festa (From Port. festa)

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, teen: ungua, dos, tres, kuatu, singku, sez, seti, oitu, novi, des (From Port. um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez)

Poem of Malacca:

Keng teng fortuna ficah na Malaka,

Nang kereh partih bai otru tera.

Pra ki tudu jenti teng amizadi,

Kontu partih logo ficah saudadi.

Ó Malaka, tera di San Francisku,

Nten otru tera ki yo kereh.

Ó Malaka undi teng sempri fresku,

Yo kereh ficah atih moreh.

Portuguese translation:

Quem tem fortuna fica em Malaca,

Não quer partir para outra terra.

Por aqui toda a gente tem amizade,

Quando partir logo fica a saudade.

Ó Malaca, terra de São Francisco,

Não há outra terra que eu quero.

Ó Malaca, onde tem sempre ar fresco,

Eu quero ficar até morrer.

English translation:

Who has wealth stays in Malacca,

Doesn't want to go to another land.

In here everyone has friendship,

When one leaves, stays saudade.

Oh Malacca, land of Saint Francis,

There is no other land that I want.

Oh Malacca, where there's always fresh air,

I want to stay here until I die.

This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

External links

• Cristão (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mcm): Ethnologue report on Kristang.
• Papia, Relijang e Tradisang, The Portuguese Eurasians in Malaysia (http://www.lusotopie.sciencespobordeaux.fr/fernandis.pdf)
• Malacca Portuguese Eurasian Association (http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Paradise/9221/)
• Malacca Portuguese Settlement (http://www.malaccacom.net/malaccaportuguese/)
• Eurasian Association Singapore (http://www.eurasians.org/home.html/)