Nigerian pidgin and other variations of pidgin English

The English language may be Nigeria’s lingua Franca; the truth is that pidgin English is Nigerians’ general language. So if you’re visiting Nigeria for the first time, don’t be daunted by the over 500 languages in the country. Just learn a little pidgin English, and you’ll be fine.

Pidgin English was originally spoken by people in the colonial era who were not proficient in English. Over time, it’s become the language of the educated and uneducated. Pidgin English is a crazily creative and sweet language that rolls off the tongue of an expert speaker. Believe me; you’ll fall in love when you listen to the language due to its fluidity and expressiveness. So, let’s go ahead to talk about the language, especially its connection to Nigeria.

What is pidgin English?

Oxford English Dictionary defines pidgin English as a language containing lexical and other features from two or more languages, characteristically with simplified grammar and a smaller vocabulary than the languages from which it is derived, used for communication between people not having a common language; a lingua franca.

The simple definition is that pidgin English is a mixture of the English language with other languages. It originated in the 17th century when many Portuguese missionaries and traders arrived on the shores of Jamaica and West and Central African countries. At the time, there was no common language between the two groups. So pidgin English was created to improve communication for trade and missionary purposes.

Today, pidgin English is widely spoken in Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon.

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Nigerian pidgin English

Nigeria is a country with diverse people from diverse backgrounds. There are over 250 ethnic groups in the country, three of which are the majority. The three are Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba.

Due to the diverse ethnic groups, over 500 indigenous languages are spoken in Nigeria. This is why the country adopted English as the official lingua franca. However, only educated people can speak English proficiently, which is why pidgin English is unofficially adopted as the language of the Nigerian people. This is because it’s the language for all.

Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE) originated as a common language between the people and the Portuguese merchants during the 17th century. NPE is a broken English like Patois and Creole, spoken along the coast of West Africa, and it has extended to the diaspora due to Nigerian migrants. When the missionaries and Portuguese left the shores of Nigeria, the language remained with the people and has since evolved into the unofficial lingua franca of the people. Some Portuguese words are still spoken in NPE. For instance, “sabi “(to know) and “pikin” (child) are original Portuguese words.

Everyone living in Nigeria understands the pidgin language. NPE may be regarded as a bastardization of the English language used by the non-literates; it is used by all, from the President to the ordinary citizen. In fact, a Nigerian child is typically exposed to pidgin English from infancy. By the time the child has grown into adulthood, the pidgin will be oozing off the brain like smoke.

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Other variations of pidgin English

By now, you know that Nigeria isn’t the only country that has adopted pidgin English as the common language of the people. There are other variations of the pidgin English spoken in other countries. They are:

• Aboriginal/Port Jackson pidgin English – English-based pidgin mostly spoken by indigenous Australians called the aborigines.
• Native American Pidgin English (AIPE) – English-based pidgin spoken by Europeans and Native Americans in western North America.
• Cameroonian Pidgin English, or Cameroonian Creole – a language variety of Cameroon also known as Kamtok and mostly spoken in the North West and South West English speaking regions.
• Chinese Pidgin English – a pidgin language lexically based on English but influenced by a Chinese substratum.
• Butler English – pidgin English spoken in India.
• Euro English (European English) – a group of pidgin dialects of the English language used in Europe, a mixture of European Union jargon and the native languages of its non-native, English-speaking population. It’s mostly spoken by EU staff, expatriates and migrants from EU countries, and young international travelers (such as exchange students and European diplomats with lower proficiency in the language.
• Ghanaian Pidgin English (GhaPE) – a combination of Ghanaian language and English language spoken in the southern capital, Accra, and surrounding towns. However, it’s often stigmatized in favor of the more acceptable Twi, an Akan dialect.
• Hawaiian Pidgin – an English-based creole language spoken in Hawaiʻi. Like Nigerian pidgin, Hawaiian pidgin is the unofficial lingua franca of the local people.
• Bamboo English – a Japanese Pidgin-English jargon developed after World War II. It was spoken between American military personnel and the Japanese on US military bases in Japan occupied by the Americans.
• Japanese Pidgin English – several English-based pidgins spoken or influenced by the Japanese.
• Korean Bamboo English originated from Japanese Bamboo English and was spoken by American military personnel to communicate with Koreans during the Korean war.
• Liberian Kreyol – an Atlantic English-lexicon creole language spoken in Liberia. Kreyol, also known as Kolokwa, originated in Liberia among the Settlers consisting of the free English-speaking African Americans from the Southern United States who emigrated to Liberia between 1819 and 1860.
• Merico – an English-based creole language spoken by Americo-Liberians in Liberia, descendants of original settlers, freed slaves, and African Americans who emigrated from the United States between 1821 and the 1870s. It is different from the Kreyol and rarely spoken in the country now.
• Micronesian Pidgin – an English-based pidgin language spoken in nineteenth-century Micronesia.
• Nauruan Pidgin English – an English-based pidgin spoken in Nauru. Nauru is an island country and microstate in Oceania, Central Pacific.
• Tok Pisin – a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is also an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in the country.
• Queensland Plantation Pidgin English – an English-based pidgin language that Melanesian labourers spoke in Queensland, Australia, from the late 1860s.
• Samoan Plantation Pidgin – an English-based pidgin language that plantation workers spoke in Samoa.
• Pijin – spoken in the Solomon Islands. It’s closely related to Tok Pisin and Bislama of Vanuatu.
• Solombala-English – derived from both English and Russian languages and spoken in the port of Solombala in the neighborhood of Arkhangelsk (Archangel), Russia, in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Tinglish – any form of the English language mixed with the Thai language.
• Bislama – an English-based creole language and one of the official languages of Vanuatu.
• Franglais (Frenglish) – a blend of English and French words.

Conclusion

As you can see, pidgin English did not originate from Nigeria. However, Nigerian pidgin English is so popular that it seems to eclipse all the others. Trust Nigerians, them no dey carry last for this kin tings. So, don’t blame us for trying to dominate everywhere we go.

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