Nigeria, situated in West Africa, has a population of over 211 million, which makes it the most populous country in Africa. Despite Abuja serving as the nation's capital, the largest metropolitan city, Lagos, has a population of over 14.8 million, with an additional 10 million residing in its surrounding area. Lagos has been ranked among the world's top ten fastest-growing cities and urban areas.
Nigeria is renowned for its cultural diversity, with more than 250 distinct ethnic groups and a more than 400 languages spoken across the nation. The most important ones are Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. The linguistic variety presents a significant challenge to effective communication. Since Nigeria was colonised by Great Britain in the 19th century, English has emerged as the de facto lingua franca and the official language. It is employed extensively in the fields of education and business, particularly in urban areas. In rural areas, however, indigenous languages continue to be the primary mode of communication.
Nigerian Standard English is a variant of Standard British English that is predominantly used in formal settings, such as education, both in spoken and written forms. However, as language always reflects the culture of the region where it is spoken, Nigerian Standard English has a considerable number of loanwords from various indigenous Nigerian languages, which do not have direct equivalents in British English, for example the terms „danfo“ and „okada.“ These represent distinct modes of transportation that are entirely absent in the United Kingdom. Consequently, in Nigeria, individuals have the option of travelling by either „danfo“ or „okada.“ In addition, certain words in British English have undergone a process known as semantic shift, whereby their meanings have evolved, e.g. the term „stranger“ not only retains its conventional English meaning (a person with whom one is not acquainted), but it has also acquired the additional connotation of „visitor.“ Consequently, the phrase „He has a stranger this evening“ in Nigeria would be interpreted as „He has a visitor this evening.“
The terms „broken English“ and „pidgin English“ are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different types of English. „Broken English“ is considered a derogatory term, suggesting that this variety of English is incomplete or flawed. It is typically used by native speakers to describe a version of English spoken by non-native speakers that deviates from fundamental grammatical conventions. For example:
„Me like see you.“ translates to „I want to see you.“ „Me is come see you tomorrow.“ translates to „I will see you tomorrow.“
In Nigeria, Standard English is a „white-collar“ language, used in formal contexts and by individuals with higher levels of education. Less educated individuals often use Broken English, representing their attempt to communicate in English.
Broken English tries to be like Standard English. So foreigners may find it easier to understand someone speaking Broken English than someone using Pidgin.
A pidgin language is a mix of words and grammar from different languages. It has a smaller vocabulary and simpler grammar than the source languages. It is a way of communicating between people who don't speak the same language.
West African Pidgin uses a lot of English words but has a lot of structural characteristics of indigenous languages. It is mainly spoken, with some written use, but no standard written form. West African Pidgin started in the 18th century as a way for Africans and Europeans to communicate. It is now one of the most widely spoken languages in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. Although West African Pidgin sounds and structures a little differently in each region, people can understand each other.
This language is dynamic and creative. Bilkisu Labaran, head of the new BBC language services for Nigeria, says: „It's fluid, changing all the time, and expressive.“
In Nigeria, about 3-5 million people speak Pidgin as their main language, while up to 75 million people use it as a second language. West African Pidgin is now considered a Creole Language. This change is marked by a more consistent grammar, a stable vocabulary, and children learning it as their native language.
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West African Pidgin English in detail
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Task
Listen to Emmanuel explaining Pidgin English in Nigeria. Then try to solve the quiz below.
„It was important that by setting up the service the BBC was not focusing on covering negative reports about Africa, but connecting the continent's needs and aspirations(...) We had many challenges, the key one being that Pidgin is a largely spoken language and hardly has a commonly agreed spelling or written format. So in the beginning we were constantly challenged by audiences in Ghana who thought certain words should be spelt the Ghanaian way, while Cameroon audiences would disagree just as Sierra Leonean, Liberian and Nigerian audiences would prefer a different approach.
We have had to take the lead by gradually aiming to standardise Pidgin as spoken and written across West and Central Africa, whilst creating some form of generally acceptable usage.“
Explore the BBC News Pidgin website, peruse articles, engage with the BBC Pidgin Minute on World News, and view a video to immerse yourself in the world of West African Pidgin: https://www.bbc.com/pidgin
