Tarzan English

This book, written in Tarzan English, is so vivid and moving that the reader is compelled to live each and every page in spite of himself.

1946 November 26, The Gateway, Omaha, page 2, column 3

After the trial was over Mr. Silvester sent to the War Office a letter which had been posted to him from Berhn, written in Tarzan English and signed Elsa Schutz.

1949, Rebecca West, The Meaning of Treason, London: Macmillan and Co., page 257

In an effort to communicate with newcomers who understand and speak little English, we sometimes use "Tarzan English," that is, we chop our sentences short, in an effort to be understood.

1962, Ruth J. Colvin, I Speak English, Santa Barbara: Bloomsbury, published 1986, page 21

Terms like Tarzan English have been used to describe how some immigrant children communicate with English-speaking people. This form of communication consists of talking in a broken manner while mixing English and Spanish (e.g., phrases like "Me no speak English.").

2017, Mario A. Tovar, Mexican American Psychology: Social, Cultural, and Clinical Perspectives, Literacy Volunteers of America, Incorporated

In the smallish Thai city where I live, most ex-pats, foreigners or Farangs put little stock in learning Thai. The demographic is generally older, retired, western men who are generally married to middle-aged Thai women and communicate in Thainglish or Tarzan English as my little group of friends like to call it.

2017 February 20, “Language Learning: Is Fluency Worth It?”, in Listen and Learn Blog, archived from the original on 26 Feb 2017