Yokohama Creole: Difference between revisions

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| nativename = Hama took / Hama toak / Hama tawk / Hamm' tawk / Hama talk

| familycolor = Mixed

| ~~official~~ = Yokohama International Territory ~~(''vernacular'')~~

| state = Yokohama International Territory

| ethnicity = Yokohama Creoles

| speakers = 3.7 million

| date = 2026

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Yokohama Creole is natively spoken throughout the city of [[w:Yokohama|Yokohama]]. Generally, Yokohama Creole speakers can be split into two primary groups; more Japan-adjacent speakers, called ''pani'' or ''nipi'', and more English-adjacent speakers, or ''rikani'' or ''eegoman''. ''Rikani'' are generally considered the 'original' Yokohama Creoles, as they are usually the direct descendants of Japanese-American couples who first settled post-war Yokohama during American occupation. However, ''rikani'' can also simply refer to American expatriates living in Yokohama, and thus not necessarily ethnically Yokohama Creole. ''Nipi'' or ''pani'' arrived later, and form the much more geographically spread underclass of Yokohama society; ''nipi'' are generally classified as Japanese immigrants, or descendants thereof, who moved to Yokohama to find work. They primarily inhabit the northern and western suburban areas of the city, and generally have a lower socio-economic status than ''rikani''s as most high-paying jobs in the centre require high mastery in English and not Creole.

The ''nipi''/''rikani'' divide is generally considered the primary socioeconomic and, to an extent, cultural divide of the International Territory, akin to the [[w:North–South divide in England|North–South divide]] in England. However, within ''rikani'' areas themselves,

The ''nipi''-''rikani'' divide is generally considered the primary socioeconomic and, to an extent, cultural divide of the International Territory, akin to the [[w:North–South divide in England|North–South divide]] in England. However, within ''rikani'' areas themselves, there also exists a further socioeconomic divide between ''rikani'' of more White American descent, called ''shirohada'' or ''hakhada'', and those of African-American, Asian American or other black or brown or simply more Japanese descent called ''kurohada'' or ''kokuhada'', where those of ''kurohada'' descent find themselves at more of a disadvantage socioeconomically than their typically lighter-skinned counterparts. This disparity has been primarily attributed to remnants of US military segregation, as well as a short period of intense [[w:Redlining|redlining]] that occurred under the rule of Governor-General Hayden McPanties between the years of 1981-1984, which has also been named as a primary contributor to the ''nipi''-''rikani'' divide.

===Sociolinguistic divide===

Although Yokohama Creole is heavily influenced by Japanese by all accounts, ''nipi'' dialects are generally much more influenced by Japanese than ''rikani'' dialects. Thus, more words in ''nipi'' Creole are of Japanese etymology, and hence may be unintelligible to, say, a ''rikani'' speaker with low knowledge of Japanese (though this is fairly rare). Some Japanese-derived words that are more common in ''nipi'' dialects than ''rikani'' dialects are:

* ''croomah'', ''crooma'', ''kruuma'', ''crewma'' or ''crewmer'' /kruuma/ "car or other four-wheeled vehicle", derived from {{mn|ja|車}} ''kuruma'' "car"

** by extension, ''croomais'', ''kruumais'' or ''crewmais'' /kruumais/ "wheelchair" is from {{mn|ja|車椅子}} ''kurumaisu''; ''rikani'' use the calqued ''carseat'' or ''kyarsiit'' /carsiit/, with the word for the seat of a car being ''kyar fo siit'' or ''car fo seat'' /car fo siit/.

* ''eekman'' or ''iikman'' /iikman/, from {{mn|ja|イケ面}} ''ikemen'' "handsome, good-looking", but generally just a synonym of "cool" only for people, typically men though it can be gender neutral. The feminine equivalent, derived from a reanalysis as /iik/ + /man/, is ''eekuman'' or ''eekoom'' /iikuman, iikuum/.

* ''baiki'' /baiki/, from {{l|ja|自動販売機}} ''jidōhanbaiki'' "vending machine", meaning a cold drink, but can be reduplicated (''baiki baiki!'') to become "Cheers!". ''Rikani'' tend to say ''camper!'' or ''campah!'' instead, which is a bastardisation of {{mn|ja|乾杯}} ''kanpai''.

* ''joombah'' or ''jumba'' /dʒumba/, derived from {{l|ja|順番}} ''junban'' "lining up in order", is the ''nipi'' name for the game [[w:Domino (card game)#Japan|Sevens]] as it is called in ''rikani'' communities.

** Similarly, [[w:President (card game)|President]] is referred to as ''sawtawk'', ''sawtaw'' or ''sootok'' among ''nipi'' and ''governor-general'' or ''govjen'' among ''rikani'', both referring to the Governor-General, the highest authority in the Yokohama International Territory.

==Orthography==

Unlike [[Cheenah]], Yokohama Creole does not have a history of consistent orthography and is practically written however the speaker would like. Typically, this means that speakers who know English, such as those living near the coast, tend to gravitate towards an etymological English spelling, whereas more inland speakers tend to have greater variability in spelling or may even use [[w:Hiragana|hiragana]] or [[w:Katakana|katakana]] in some cases.

[[File:Pinats.png|thumb|right|alt=The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling".|The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling"]]

[[File:Pinats.png|thumb|right|400px|alt=The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling".|The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling"]]

However, some people have put forward proposals for a standard Yokohama Creole orthography. One such solution, often called "''[[w:Peanuts (comic)|Peanuts]]'' spelling", "Snoopy spelling", "Charlie Brown spelling" or the "''Peanuts'' orthography" due to its use originating in an Internet user's translations of the American comic strip ''Peanuts'', is a phonemic orthography based on or at least inspired by the [[w:Cassidy/JLU orthography|Cassidy/JLU orthography]] used to write [[w:Jamaican Patois|Jamaican Patois]]. This orthography is probably the most commonly found regular orthographic scheme used, though ''pure'' Peanuts spelling is rare and typically only occurs in the eponymous translated Peanuts comics (''Pinats'') or among speakers who are familiar with the Internet. However, other variations of the underlying Peanuts spelling system are common throughout.

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Coincidentally, /man dem/ also occurs in Multicultural London English (MLE), though in Yokohama Creole this is exclusively used in the plural third-person, as in /man dem no go skuul e/ "They do not go to school" instead of its broader meaning in MLE where it can also refer to the first person plural.

Third-person pronouns in Yokohama Creole tend to have a specific use depending on social familiarity with the person mentioned. For example, inanimate objects are referred to with /tin/ from English *thing*, but may also be combined with another personal pronoun to make it derogatory, as in the second-person /ju tin/. /man/ and its feminine counterpart /ʃiman/ are used as a polite form of /im/ and /ʃi/ respectively, but also act as pro-forms like in Japanese:

Third-person pronouns in Yokohama Creole tend to have a specific use depending on social familiarity with the person mentioned. For example, inanimate objects are referred to with /tin/ from {{mn|en|thing}}, but may also be combined with another personal pronoun to make it derogatory, as in the second-person /ju tin/. /man/ and its feminine counterpart /ʃiman/ are used as a polite form of /im/ and /ʃi/ respectively, but also act as pro-forms like in Japanese:

/domdom man tink dat man blok im kjan/ lit. "Stupid he thinks that he can beat him", means "The stupid man thinks that he can beat [the other man]".

In contrast, /im/ or /ʃi/ tend to connotate a familiarity with the person in question; i.e., a family member or a good friend may be referred to as /im/ or /ʃi/, though family members are usually referred to by role, e.g. /onkel/ "uncle" or /mama/ "mother."

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* /jo/ spelt ''yo'', ''yoa'', ''’o'' or ''’oa'', is placed at the end of a sentence to indicate the sentence is jussive; the pronoun is usually omitted alongside. Derived from Japanese よ. For example, /op ni brin dis jo!/ "Bring this up!" as opposed to */ju op ni brin dis jo!/

* /ni/ spelt ''nee'', ''ni'', ''’nee'' or ''knee'', placed after a noun to indicate something is towards or into something, used like に in Japanese. For example, /im muʃ dis kafiteri ni/ "He ate this in the cafeteria."

* /e/ spelt ''eh'', ''e'', ''é'', ''’e'', ''he'', similar to /ni/ but usually to indicate something is towards a place; derived from Japanese へ, as in /im fam go ~~menlan~~ e fo wee ~~slip~~ de/ "His family went to Japan for the holidays"

* /e/ spelt ''eh'', ''e'', ''é'', ''’e'', ''he'', similar to /ni/ but usually to indicate something is towards a place; derived from Japanese へ, as in /im fam go mennan e fo wee sip de/ "His family went to Japan for the holidays"

* /fo/, usually spelt ''fo'' but may be contracted to just ''f''. Usually used in place of {{mn|ja|の}}, apart from after personal pronouns. However, in conjunction with /wee/ (from {{mn|en|way}}), /fo wee/ takes the role of {{mn|en|for}} or {{mn|ja|のように}} "in the same way as".

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | nativename = Hama took / Hama toak / Hama tawk / Hamm' tawk / Hama talk
 | familycolor = Mixed
-| official = Yokohama International Territory (''vernacular'')
+| state = Yokohama International Territory
+| ethnicity = Yokohama Creoles
 | speakers = 3.7 million
 | date = 2026
@@ Line 21: / Line 22: @@
 Yokohama Creole is natively spoken throughout the city of [[w:Yokohama|Yokohama]]. Generally, Yokohama Creole speakers can be split into two primary groups; more Japan-adjacent speakers, called ''pani'' or ''nipi'', and more English-adjacent speakers, or ''rikani'' or ''eegoman''. ''Rikani'' are generally considered the 'original' Yokohama Creoles, as they are usually the direct descendants of Japanese-American couples who first settled post-war Yokohama during American occupation. However, ''rikani'' can also simply refer to American expatriates living in Yokohama, and thus not necessarily ethnically Yokohama Creole. ''Nipi'' or ''pani'' arrived later, and form the much more geographically spread underclass of Yokohama society; ''nipi'' are generally classified as Japanese immigrants, or descendants thereof, who moved to Yokohama to find work. They primarily inhabit the northern and western suburban areas of the city, and generally have a lower socio-economic status than ''rikani''s as most high-paying jobs in the centre require high mastery in English and not Creole.
-The ''nipi''/''rikani'' divide is generally considered the primary socioeconomic and, to an extent, cultural divide of the International Territory, akin to the [[w:North–South divide in England|North–South divide]] in England. However, within ''rikani'' areas themselves,
+The ''nipi''-''rikani'' divide is generally considered the primary socioeconomic and, to an extent, cultural divide of the International Territory, akin to the [[w:North–South divide in England|North–South divide]] in England. However, within ''rikani'' areas themselves, there also exists a further socioeconomic divide between ''rikani'' of more White American descent, called ''shirohada'' or ''hakhada'', and those of African-American, Asian American or other black or brown or simply more Japanese descent called ''kurohada'' or ''kokuhada'', where those of ''kurohada'' descent find themselves at more of a disadvantage socioeconomically than their typically lighter-skinned counterparts. This disparity has been primarily attributed to remnants of US military segregation, as well as a short period of intense [[w:Redlining|redlining]] that occurred under the rule of Governor-General Hayden McPanties between the years of 1981-1984, which has also been named as a primary contributor to the ''nipi''-''rikani'' divide.
+===Sociolinguistic divide===
+Although Yokohama Creole is heavily influenced by Japanese by all accounts, ''nipi'' dialects are generally much more influenced by Japanese than ''rikani'' dialects. Thus, more words in ''nipi'' Creole are of Japanese etymology, and hence may be unintelligible to, say, a ''rikani'' speaker with low knowledge of Japanese (though this is fairly rare). Some Japanese-derived words that are more common in ''nipi'' dialects than ''rikani'' dialects are:
+* ''croomah'', ''crooma'', ''kruuma'', ''crewma'' or ''crewmer'' /kruuma/ "car or other four-wheeled vehicle", derived from {{mn|ja|車}} ''kuruma'' "car"
+** by extension, ''croomais'', ''kruumais'' or ''crewmais'' /kruumais/ "wheelchair" is from {{mn|ja|車椅子}} ''kurumaisu''; ''rikani'' use the calqued ''carseat'' or ''kyarsiit'' /carsiit/, with the word for the seat of a car being ''kyar fo siit'' or ''car fo seat'' /car fo siit/.
+* ''eekman'' or ''iikman'' /iikman/, from {{mn|ja|イケ面}} ''ikemen'' "handsome, good-looking", but generally just a synonym of "cool" only for people, typically men though it can be gender neutral. The feminine equivalent, derived from a reanalysis as /iik/ + /man/, is ''eekuman'' or ''eekoom'' /iikuman, iikuum/.
+* ''baiki'' /baiki/, from {{l|ja|自動販売機}} ''jidōhanbaiki'' "vending machine", meaning a cold drink, but can be reduplicated (''baiki baiki!'') to become "Cheers!". ''Rikani'' tend to say ''camper!'' or ''campah!'' instead, which is a bastardisation of {{mn|ja|乾杯}} ''kanpai''.
+* ''joombah'' or ''jumba'' /dʒumba/, derived from {{l|ja|順番}} ''junban'' "lining up in order", is the ''nipi'' name for the game [[w:Domino (card game)#Japan|Sevens]] as it is called in ''rikani'' communities.
+** Similarly, [[w:President (card game)|President]] is referred to as ''sawtawk'', ''sawtaw'' or ''sootok'' among ''nipi'' and ''governor-general'' or ''govjen'' among ''rikani'', both referring to the Governor-General, the highest authority in the Yokohama International Territory.
 ==Orthography==
 Unlike [[Cheenah]], Yokohama Creole does not have a history of consistent orthography and is practically written however the speaker would like. Typically, this means that speakers who know English, such as those living near the coast, tend to gravitate towards an etymological English spelling, whereas more inland speakers tend to have greater variability in spelling or may even use [[w:Hiragana|hiragana]] or [[w:Katakana|katakana]] in some cases.
-[[File:Pinats.png|thumb|right|alt=The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling".|The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling"]]
+[[File:Pinats.png|thumb|right|400px|alt=The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling".|The daily ''Peanuts'' comic for March 9, 2026, translated into Yokohama Creole in pure "''Peanuts'' spelling"]]
 However, some people have put forward proposals for a standard Yokohama Creole orthography. One such solution, often called "''[[w:Peanuts (comic)|Peanuts]]'' spelling", "Snoopy spelling", "Charlie Brown spelling" or the "''Peanuts'' orthography" due to its use originating in an Internet user's translations of the American comic strip ''Peanuts'', is a phonemic orthography based on or at least inspired by the [[w:Cassidy/JLU orthography|Cassidy/JLU orthography]] used to write [[w:Jamaican Patois|Jamaican Patois]]. This orthography is probably the most commonly found regular orthographic scheme used, though ''pure'' Peanuts spelling is rare and typically only occurs in the eponymous translated Peanuts comics (''Pinats'') or among speakers who are familiar with the Internet. However, other variations of the underlying Peanuts spelling system are common throughout.
 [[File:Liltin.jpg|thumb|left|200px|An internet meme about [[w:List of Azumanga Daioh characters#Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga|Osaka]] written in Revised Peanuts spelling]]
@@ Line 98: / Line 108: @@
 Coincidentally, /man dem/ also occurs in Multicultural London English (MLE), though in Yokohama Creole this is exclusively used in the plural third-person, as in /man dem no go skuul e/ "They do not go to school" instead of its broader meaning in MLE where it can also refer to the first person plural.
-Third-person pronouns in Yokohama Creole tend to have a specific use depending on social familiarity with the person mentioned. For example, inanimate objects are referred to with /tin/ from English *thing*, but may also be combined with another personal pronoun to make it derogatory, as in the second-person /ju tin/. /man/ and its feminine counterpart /ʃiman/ are used as a polite form of /im/ and /ʃi/ respectively, but also act as pro-forms like in Japanese:
+Third-person pronouns in Yokohama Creole tend to have a specific use depending on social familiarity with the person mentioned. For example, inanimate objects are referred to with /tin/ from {{mn|en|thing}}, but may also be combined with another personal pronoun to make it derogatory, as in the second-person /ju tin/. /man/ and its feminine counterpart /ʃiman/ are used as a polite form of /im/ and /ʃi/ respectively, but also act as pro-forms like in Japanese:
 /domdom man tink dat man blok im kjan/ lit. "Stupid he thinks that he can beat him", means "The stupid man thinks that he can beat [the other man]".
 In contrast, /im/ or /ʃi/ tend to connotate a familiarity with the person in question; i.e., a family member or a good friend may be referred to as /im/ or /ʃi/, though family members are usually referred to by role, e.g. /onkel/ "uncle" or /mama/ "mother."
@@ Line 108: / Line 118: @@
 * /jo/ spelt ''yo'', ''yoa'', ''’o'' or ''’oa'', is placed at the end of a sentence to indicate the sentence is jussive; the pronoun is usually omitted alongside. Derived from Japanese よ. For example, /op ni brin dis jo!/ "Bring this up!" as opposed to */ju op ni brin dis jo!/
 * /ni/ spelt ''nee'', ''ni'', ''’nee'' or ''knee'', placed after a noun to indicate something is towards or into something, used like に in Japanese. For example, /im muʃ dis kafiteri ni/ "He ate this in the cafeteria."
-* /e/ spelt ''eh'', ''e'', ''é'', ''’e'', ''he'', similar to /ni/ but usually to indicate something is towards a place; derived from Japanese へ, as in /im fam go menlan e fo wee slip de/ "His family went to Japan for the holidays"
+* /e/ spelt ''eh'', ''e'', ''é'', ''’e'', ''he'', similar to /ni/ but usually to indicate something is towards a place; derived from Japanese へ, as in /im fam go mennan e fo wee sip de/ "His family went to Japan for the holidays"
 * /fo/, usually spelt ''fo'' but may be contracted to just ''f''. Usually used in place of {{mn|ja|の}}, apart from after personal pronouns. However, in conjunction with /wee/ (from {{mn|en|way}}), /fo wee/ takes the role of {{mn|en|for}} or {{mn|ja|のように}} "in the same way as".