King Charles and the Queen Consort received a warm welcome on Saturday as they arrived in Papua New Guinea to begin a two-week tour of the Antipodes to mark the late Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.
The then Prince of Wales spoke in the local language, Tok Pisin, introducing himself as the 'nambawan pikinini bilong Misis Kwin' – the number one child belonging to Mrs Queen. Similarly, when the Duke of Edinburgh visits, he is addressed as 'oldfella Pili-Pili him bilong Misis Kwin'.
Tok Pisin is a creole language and the most widely spoken in Papua New Guinea, with between one and two million people speaking it as a first language. 'Tok' is derived from the English word 'talk' and 'Pisin' from 'pidgin'. Much of its vocabulary has a charm of its own, with phrases such as 'liklik box you pull him he cry you push him he cry' for an accordion, and 'bigfella iron walking stick him go bang along topside' for a rifle.
Other colourful expressions include 'bel hevi' (belly heavy) for the heavy sinking feeling that often accompanies extreme sadness, and 'tit i gat windua bilong em' (teeth have window belong him) for a broken-off tooth.
