Papia Kristang - Use it or lose it!

I grew up speaking mainly English at home. We learnt Malay at school. As for Papia Kristang (Kristang Language), we usually only had the chance to hear it spoken when visiting my Grandparents home or homes of our relatives. When we were very young, my parents used to visit relatives at the Portuguese Settlement (in Ujong Pasir) in Malacca. Obviously almost everyone there spoke Kristang.

Although I may recognize many Kristang words, unfortunately I would not be able to string a few Kristang sentences to save my life! Pretty sad as Kristang is really a very beautiful language (if I do say so myself) & many of the younger generation that live outside the Portuguese Settlement would not not know a Kristang word if it bit them in the nose!

There has been some effort to keep the Kristang Language alive & as an example please refer to the attached article from "The Star Online" (Aug 1st 2007) Reviving Kristang language

Not many Malaysian Portuguese Kristangs (let alone other Malaysians) know that familiar Malaysian words like "aiyoh" & "alamak" are actually Kristang words!

Efforts like these need to be continuously encouraged & helped, especially by the Eurasians of Portugese descent, not only in Malacca but those that have migrated to other parts of Malaysia, Singapore & elsewhere (e.g. these is quite a sizable community in Perth, which has increased over the years due to migration from Malaysia).

A short history of the language (taken mainly from Wikipedia) is as follows:-

The Kristang language originated after the conquest of Malacca (a state in Malaysia) in 1511 by the Potuguese. The community of speakers descends mainly from marriages between Portuguese settlers and local Malay women, as well as a certain number of migrants from Goa, themselves of mixed Indian and Portuguese ancestry. Kristang had a substantial influence on Macanese, the creole language spoken in Macau, due to substantial migration from Malacca after its takeover by the Dutch. Even after Portugal lost Malacca and almost all contact in 1641, the Kristang community largely preserved its language. The language is not taught at school, although there are still some Church (Catholic) services in Portuguese.

Its grammatical structure is similar to that of the Malay Language (the National Language of Malaysia). Malay is a group of languages closely related to each other to the point of mutual intelligibility but that linguists consider to be separate languages. Because of its largely Portuguese vocabulary, and perhaps also as a result of migrations and cultural exchange along trade routes, Kristang has much in common with other Portuguese-based creoles, as well as with the extinct creoles of Indonesia and East Timor.

Since the Kristang language was never though in school, it is predominantly an "oral language" passed down from one generation to the next. As I grow older, I guess the longing to ensure that this great Kristang Culture (of which I am a part of and have always been proud of but never really helped pass on) of which the language is so important, is passed on to future generations. I hope my fellow Portuguese Eurasians will help keep this beautiful language alive & well so that our children & children's children will know from where they came & the proud heritage of which they are descended from.