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A LINGUISTIC STUDY OF NIGERIAN PIDGIN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

With respect to the emergence of loanwords, Platt et al. (1984) observe that linguistic contacts between languages result in the incorporation of some words coming from other tongues. Thus, the process of adopting foreign words is not strange or unusual. It happens in all languages and dialects in varying degrees and ways because speech communities do not function in isolation. The intermingling of people of different cultures and languages brings about borrowing, and through it, languages accommodate foreign elements, words and ideas geared towards expanding their vocabularies. Again, languages come into contact through bilingual speakers. Banjo (1983), Madaki (1983) and Pariola (1983) in Olaoye (1991) posit that when languages come into contact, a variety of phenomena such as bilingualism, borrowing, relexification, code-switching, code-mixing and perhaps language death take place. However, Scotton (1988) opines that the use of a borrowed item in a language is code-switching until enough speakers use it and the item is accepted by native speakers into their dictionary.

Lexical borrowings are by far the most commonly attested language contact phenomenon, and it is therefore not an aberration in the world of languages as languages come in contact at different points. Nigerian Pidgin is a product of such contact and it relies on other languages for survival. Just like human beings, languages (including Nigerian Pidgin) borrow linguistic items and expressions from one another to complement, improve and develop their vocabularies. No wonder Haspelmath and Tadmor (2009:1) state that ―no language in the sample and probably no language in the world is entirely devoid of loanwords. Nigerian Pidgin (NP), like other living languages has borrowed extensively intranationally and internationally. The vocabulary of a pidgin language is usually small compared to that of other languages, but it continues to grow and acquire more linguistic items when in active use. It is often described as a marginal language used by people who need to communicate for certain restricted purposes. For this reason, pidgins tend to arise on trade routes, for example, along the coast of West Africa. The more languages a pidgin comes in contact with, the more the words it borrows from the languages, and it adopts the words in various situations. With time and with increased use, a pidgin when it becomes an ―expanded pidgin‖ is able to satisfy all the linguistic needs of the immediate community in which it is used. Where an expanded pidgin co-exists with a host language, as for example Nigerian Pidgin does with the English Language in Nigeria, research has shown that it is not an appendage of that host language, It is a language of its own with a distinct linguistic system (Elugbe and Omamor 1991, Gani Ikilama 1993).

Ken Saro Wiwa‘s book ―Sozaboy‖ is a post independence novel which describes the fortunes of a young naive recruit (in the Nigerian Army during the Nigerian Civil War) who entered the army proud but eventually faced confusion, disillusionment and horror. Mene is totally naive, and remains so till the end of the novel. Despite his limited knowledge, Mene always manages to survive while the others — who started out with him — quickly die.

Saro-Wiwa gives a sub-title to his novel, “a novel in rotten English.” This is an anti-war novel, which is real and experimental in its constant, but sustained use of pidgin English. Other authors, such as Achebe and Soyinka have used Pidgin English in their dialogues, but Saro-Wiwa has utilised the language of the novel in order to reflect the reality of the context around his story as he indiscriminately borrows lexical items from different languages. The writer sets out to actually write, hence the tag ‗rotten English‘. According to his words in his preface to the novel: Sozaboy’s language is what I call ‘rotten English,’ a mixture of Nigerian pidgin English, broken English and occasional flashes of good, even idiomatic English. This language is disordered and disorderly. Born of a mediocre education and severely limited opportunities, it borrows words, patterns and images freely from the mother-tongue and finds expression in a very limited English vocabulary. To its speakers, it has the advantage of having no rules and no syntax. It thrives on lawlessness, and is part of the dislocated and discordant society in which Sozaboy must live, move and have not his being.Programmes                      Television / Radio                      Nature of Programmes

Face 2 Face                              STV                               DRAMA

News in Pidgin               Radio Nigeria, LTV       NEWS, NEWS

I dey trowey salute        Wazobia FM                  Public enlighten.

Pidgin is also used by government officials for the purpose of mobilizing ordinary people during the electioneering campaigns. For example, Nigeria's former president Olusegun  Obasanjo switched to Pidgin occasionally during his monthly radio and television Nigerian broadcasts. This was meant to enable him reach a greater number of the audience.

The Nigerian dominant languages (Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba) constitute the substrate of Pidgin used in community market. They are important sources of lexical borrowing. It is believed that some of the words like 'pikin' (a child), 'dash' (gift), in Nigerian Pidgin have been borrowed from other European languages, mainly Portuguese.

Pidgin is often spoken in market places, filling stations, homes, parties, motor parks etc.  The common speakers of this language are drivers, bus conductors, traders with little or no formal educational background. The difficulty in the writing of Pidgin is a result of lack of a uniform orthography and standardization resulting from the varieties of Pidgin to be employed by many speakers. That is, an individual's background influences his or her pronunciation and grammar, but the educated ones speak Pidgin for wider communication.  Pidgin is however, not encouraged in schools in the country because of its harmful effect on the learning of the Standard English which serves as the official language in Nigeria.

It could also be said that Pidgin has become a Mother Tongue for a number of families in certain areas and communities and as such could be seen as Creole.

The definition of Pidgin as a jargon and corrupt language is no longer as it was, since in recent times, there is greater recognition of the fact that Pidgin reflects human creative ability.

English language came as a result of colonization which has imposed English language on Nigerians.  The language later got adopted as official language, though not everybody in the country can speak or write English.  Lagos state is highly metropolitan, almost all the ethnic groups in Nigeria have representation in Lagos and as a result, most people do not understand the native language of one another.

It has been observed that a large number of people are semi-illiterate, hence, the need to develop a language that will encourage easy communication with one another.  Pidgin has not been accorded a high status in Nigeria.  People are not encouraged to speak it, and children are punished in school for speaking it. Bamgbose et al (1995) observe that the attitude of Nigerians to Pidgin range from adoration to disdain, some people are so contemptuous of Pidgin that they feel it should not be used in public.  Although has been described as corrupt and a language that has no function, the importance of Pidgin in our society is quite clear because of its social values.

1.2    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In the Nigerian society, Pidgin is seen as a language that has many varieties which affect he student’s competence and performance in terms of communication and performance at examinations.  Also pidgin is made up of varieties of substances from the vernaculars of different native languages in Nigerian ethnic groups.  For this reason, Pidgin spoken in one area differs from that spoken in another area and this has contributed to the difference in phonological, lexical and syntactical resources.

1.3     PURPOSE OF STUDY

The study was conducted with the aim of:

Finding out the prospect of  Pidgin as a language of communication.

Showing people's attitude towards Pidgin used in Ipodo community market in Lagos.

Analyzing how Mother Tongue interferes with Nigerian Pidgin.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The study will go a long way in exposing the use of language outside its formal context.  It will also serve as an eye-opener to many people who regard Pidgin as a corrupt form of language which makes some of its user feel ashamed and discouraged to use it in public.

1.5     SCOPE OF STUDY

This research was not designed to determine the role of Pidgin and the level of people speaking it, but to analyze the stylistic ability of the type of Pidgin spoken in community market, and to show that, like other languages, Pidgin is a language on its own.

1.6    METHOD OF RESEARCH

Ipodo community market inIkeja was visited and traders were interacted with intheir day to day transactions, which were analyzed inthe project.