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The Bible text might have more loanwords from standard English than other texts in Tok Pisin do, though. For example, right at the beginning she says "spirit", which I suspect came into Tok Pisin through a conscious borrowing by a Bible translator or missionary.

If I look at this translation

http://www.bible.is/TPIPNG/Gen/1

it seems quite challenging to follow, even knowing a couple of Tok Pisin words. But maybe it would be different if it were read aloud, or maybe the woman in the video you found is reciting a version that uses vocabulary that's especially close to English?



Pulled my English<->Tok Pisin dictionary[1] off the shelf and took a look. For this context (referring to God) Spirit or Holi Spirit is correct.

Reading Tok Pisin is definitely harder than hearing it for the novice, IMO. The spelling is much more phonetic while your brain still wants to pick out the (sometimes heavily accented) English words it recognises.

[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4397275-the-jacaranda-di...




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