THE SOCIOLINGUISTICS OF NIGERIAN PIDGIN(ENGLISH) ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS BY M.S. ABDULLAHI-IDIAGBON DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN Introduction As once a student at various times in a College of Education and Universities as well as a lecturer at a College of Education, Polytechnic and presently at a University, I have observed both as a student and a lecturer, how students use pidgin-English in different circumstances as a means of communication. It is quite interesting to note that what actually started as a “contingency language” between the white merchant, who later turned colonial masters, and their black traders has now become “an elitist campus language” spoken among the teeming population of the Nigerian students in higher institutions of learning. In other words, pidgin which, Quirk et. al. (1985:28) have described as “the traditional interference used chiefly by the prosperous and privileged sections of a community”, represented by the This paper therefore intends to examine the use as well as establish the popularity of Pidgin-English among the Nigerian students on campuses based on sociolinguistic principles. rally grounds. sex. relaxation joints. The variables like domains of use. viewing centers. they are seen interacting lively with pidgin-English. Holmes. Thus. status among other relevant ones will be considered. ‘gossip’ centers. movie grounds and a host of other meeting points where and when students are relieved of their academic routines. Sociolinguistics can be defined as the study of the relationship between language and society (Hudson 1990. ethnicity. 2001). at common rooms. age. This implies that as soon as we embark on the study of WHY we speak in CERTAIN ways we are already within the realm of the sociolinguistics.unskilled and illiterate class of society is now being proudly spoken by students of tertiary institutions on campuses. kiosks. playing grounds. . the term “sociolinguistics” was not accorded prominence. The Concept of Sociolinguistics Holmes (2001) observes that not until the beginning of the last decade. we . 1998). Since pidginisation. therefore. status. He further points out that it is the social situation-use popularly known as context that affects the morpho-syntactic pattern of a language. Brooks (1964) observes that: It is through the magic of language that man comes eventually to understand to an impressive degree the environment to which he lives and. The emergent language can serve as a substrate or an auxiliary to the main or superstrate one(s) or serve as just a means of business transaction or even rise to become an international language. literacy level.Sociolinguistics variables like sex. A culture is better understood and promoted through its language because language serves as a mirror to a society and its cultural practices. a lingua franca or common language of communication emerge (Stockwell. according to Hymes (1971:84). still more surprising. This is because where two or more speech communities come in contact. idiosyncrasies and socio-cultural values. Hymes (1974) opines that language cannot be the same in terms of the assigned role and value. 2002). the social identity of a speaker or a speech community is signaled. gains an insight into his own nature and his own condition. setting. exposure. Fishman’s (1997) assertion that no language is inferior is aptly logical. Through one or more of these factors. is a “complex process of sociolinguistics”. and how they influence the linguistic behaviour lie within the scope of sociolinguistics (Adeyanju. The Origin of Pidgin Opinions differ on the etymological genesis of the word “pidgin”. 42). He said the word could as well be linked to the Amerindian “pidian” which means “people”. respectively. He reported that some scholars claim that the word originated from Hebrew “Pidgin” or “pigeon” which means “barter” or “a bird”. Holmes refutes the assertion that pidgin is a baby talk. Hence. .81). Edwards deduced this definition of a pidgin as: “a baby-like and rather superficial repetitions associated with trade communication (p. They are used for serious purposes” (p. Edwards (1994) first traced the word to Portuguese “Ocupacao” which means “business” or “pequeno” “babytalk” or simply “baby”. from the foregoing varying conceptual opinions. He emphasizes that “pidgins and Creoles are real languages not baby talk.shall now consider the use of Nigerian Pidgin English among students in the Nigerian Universities. Holmes also agrees that pidgins are spoken more for an affective than referential purpose.Decamp (1987:175) describes pidgin as an incidental communicative language within a multilingual setting which “is the native language of nobody”. At the early stage of pidgin Quirk et. al. This implies that pidgins are restricted to a few practical issues or events. al. with the European imperialists. They evolved “to serve a narrow range of functions in a very restricted set of domains” (p. pidgin is used to replace the native language in a micro-speech community. Hudson (1990:62) confirms: . Stockwell (2002) observes that because of the overwhelming colonial expansion of the British imperial power.18). Pidgins are of considerable interest to sociolinguits because of the influence which the society exerts on their forms and functions. most especially. foreign or superstrate language and the indigenous or substrate language. Pidgin is therefore an amalgam of the main. observe that pidgins initially are exclusively used for referential and not for affective functions. Quirk et. acknowledge that unlike the Creole. Its vocabulary according to Decamp. 84). “around a quarter of all pidgins and Creoles have English as element” (p. is donated by the socio-politically dominant language “in the original contact situation”. Decamp (1971). Elimination of grammatical devices like inflections. Brann. 1994) see these qualities as an asset and a boost to easy acquisition of the language. Code-switching deserves more attention than . 1995) view the language contemptuously and describe it as a debased form of language. Elugbe. Sometimes.Each pidgin is of course specially constructed to suit the need of its users which means that it has to have the terminology and constructions needed in whatever kinds of context. Hymes (1971) and Hudson (1990) give a synopsis of the characteristics of pidgins as follows: i. 1989.g. ii. iii. This practice is noticeable among the youths who often differentiate between the “fun time” and “business time”. Akinnaso. On the other hand. Ability of a word to have semantic extension i. 1985. The use of reduplication as intensifier. others (e. This type of code switching is known as metaphorical code-switching. expanded meanings. The simplicity and resilience of pidgin are always perceived differently by people. deliberately that the mood of discussion needs to be changed.g. plural possessive and tenses. The positivists (e.e. a speaker code-switches from the standard English to pidgin in order to indicate. Adegbija. Lagos. Nigerian Pidgin Obiechina (1984). Below is a diagram which summarizes Obiechina’s classification of the Nigerian Pidgin English. This is because the idea of pidgin presupposes (code) mixing of languages. Kano/Maiduguri and Port Harcourt variants. the variants identified are five. Calabar.code-mixing in discussing pidgins. Elugbe (1995) and Egbokhare (2001) are unanimous in their opinion that the Nigerian Pidgin English came into Nigeria through the coast. (i) Bendel Variant . namely: Bendel. Different pidgin variants have been noticed on Nigeria – Obiechina’s version shall be considered because the writer considers the meticulousness of the writer in compartmentalization of Nigerian pidgin into variants as exhaustive and critical. ( ii) Calabar Variant (iii) Kano/Maiduguri Variant (iv) Lagos Variant (v) Port Harcourt Variant . spelling. the likely problems to be encountered. He cites its grassroot popularity and cultural neutrality and easy acquisitions as some justifications. An investigation into the use of Pidgin English in Nigeria is necessary in order to understand the social structures of the society and the language behaviour itself. usage and meaning beyond the territory of the original speakers. A variant popularises vocabularies from a substrate language including their pronunciation. He concludes that: “Nigerian Pidgin English has a far much larger number of speakers than what has been referred to by Bamgbose (1980:2) as “Standard Nigerian English”. For instance. . Writing on Nigerian pidgin. cultural baselessness and lack of indigenous status as the major cogs to his proposal. however. In his contribution. He acknowledges. He instantiated that the use of pidgin signals proximity and informality and that it is good for cracking jokes. Adegbija mentions aura of inferiority or stigma. Jowitt (1991) also remarked that recently the pidgin has attained the feat of dignity not only among the illiterates but also the literate members of the society.A variant is characterized by a preponderant influence of its substrate language on the form and usage of that variant. Adegbija (1994) strengthens the utility of the Pidgin English and even proposes the elevation of Nigerian Pidgin English as a national language. African China. “Wafy” as being popularly referred to has spread beyond its originators to virtually all nooks and crannies of students’ settlement. mostly inhabited by low-income earners including young musicians who perform at club houses where majority of those in attendance are students and socialites of low or average status. This research shows (through questionnaire and oral interview) that Nigerian Pidgin English can be categorized into three. Musicians like Daddy Showkey. Incidentally they enjoy tremendous audience and patronage from the youths (most especially students from higher institutions) as well as from the socialites. Oral interview reveals that this category evolved at Ajegunle. (ii) Wafy-ranky which is a special variety popular among the Nigerian students and which of course is the major focus of the paper.Register is another sociolinguistic variable definable primarily by the context and purpose of communication. “area boys” or hoodlums. a suburb of Lagos city. (i) Ordinarily Nigerian Pidgin English spoken by the vast majority of Nigerian people. However. to mention but few are examples of the apostles of Wafy Ranky. . (iii) Hooligan’s version popularly associated with the touts. Lagbaja and Charlie Boy. six Nigerian Universities’ campuses were selected for the distribution of questionnaire as well as for oral interview. Kano (BUK) and Ahmadu Bello University. Imo State University. the third is more densely muddled with slangs than the second. The second and third types share some things in common especially in terms of slangs. Respondents and interviewees were randomly selected. University of Lagos. Zaria (ABU) campuses in the North. Ibadan (UI) in the West. Owerri and University of Nigeria. sound symbolism and metaphoric elements. Lagos (UNILAG) and University of Ibadan. Bayero University. Nsukka (UNN) in the South East were selected as regional .The first type is the commonest that will not be our focus now. To collate the data. However. Method of Data Collection and Classification Sociolinguists agree that the field is both theoretical and empirical. Slangs present an alternative source of words into Nigerian pidgin. clipping. Slangs are characterized by neologism. the word “askari” is an Arabic word for police while the word “solo” is a coinage used to mean “calm down”. stabilized and probably creolized. No doubt that the English language is the officially recognized medium of communication within students . This is because at times. how pidgin English is being used on Nigerian Universities’ campuses should deserved academic attention. Life on campus is about academic and nonacademic activities. For instance. Over the years. Data Analysis By now. These have been introduced by the Nigerian youths on campus and/or the hoodlums to swell up the lexical register of their pidgin typologies. linguistic resources like borrowing and coinage are resorted to in order to cope with day-to-day emerging functions and concepts.representatives (see the format of the questionnaire in the appendix). pidgin in Nigeria has expanded. in the impression of the respondents. often makes students feel that such a lecturer is accessible and. For interpersonal/private discussion. To express their basic domestic needs like-eating and clothing. pidgin expressions intermittently or once in a while are used by the lecturers for jocular effects so that the lecture will not be boring. pidgin expressions are commonly resorted to perform the following functions: 1. as revealed by the oral interview. This practice. that he has good method of teaching. To herald musical concert of interest within or outside campuses. To womanize or talk about ladies or ladies discussing their male friends. On campuses. 2. Even then. . 4. 3. It is also the language of instruction.and between students and the University staff. Naturally. No wonder that they are found talking about or gracing parties. students are full of youthful exuberance. Some examples of such expressions are: . Pidgin is used to spread information about such an occasion. being in adolescent or early adulthood stage. make you first download the babe’s data (If you want to woo that lady you should first get information about her). Here are few examples: (i) If you wan run/scope that chick/babe. . the babe fine no small. (ii) Honestly. The lady is also bigbreasted). The baby na cowbell (Honestly. the lady is charmingly beautiful.(i) We get runs this weekend or show dey for town this weekend (there is going to be a party in town this weekend). This theme is often expressed in pidgin at different relaxation centres on campuses. Talks about ladies dominate students discussion outside lecture rooms. (ii) You hear say jive dey for campus or im go happen for campus tonite? (have you heard that there is going to be a musical show on campus tonight?). students use pidgin English as an indirect means of requesting for favour. (iv) You sweet Omo (you are very beautiful.00). Sometimes. .(iii) Na her ariseto be that (that is her intimate male man friend) also known as sugar daddy in Nigerian English context. They beg for money or food stuff from their colleagues. Hunger dey wire me (I am hungry) (iii) Come wack (come and eat) (iv) I beg raise me with “ten fibre” (please lend me N100. (v) Tear im wrapper (have a sex with her). Let’s consider few examples: (i) (ii) I wan grej make I no yakata for ground (I want to eat) so that I won’t fall down or collapse. young lady). pidgin is used for various purposes. carry go (no problem. you can go on) . It can be used to solidarise. In addition. For interpersonal or private discussion.Note that ‘grej’ and ‘ten fibre’ are slangs. Here are few of such expressions: as collated from the questionnaire. ‘Close pals’ use it to praise or admonish one another. establish and maintain relationship. it functions as the language or identity. (i) Kasala don burst (there is an imminent/looming danger) (ii) Alam don blow (the secret has been exposed) (iii) No kwam. it does not. for casual greetings. Further discussion on the use of Pidgin English on campus will require a brief discussion on the centrality or significance of Lagos in Nigeria.(iv) You go kpeme (you will be left out) (v) I dey kawa o (I am leaving) (vi) Make we waka go (let us go or leave) (vii) I beg maintain (please. pidgin expressions are commonly used by the students. Lagos had been the capital city of Nigeria since the colonial administration. Not until 1991. Sometimes. indicate unseriousness of issues or lack of proficiency in the use of English. . in most cases. a request for favour follows these greetings. be calm) (viii) Gentleman no dey inside aluta (every student is the same) (ix) Katakata don burst (trouble has occurred) Moreover. Here are examples: (i) How runs? (how is the work?) (ii) What’s up (how is it?) (iii) You dey live (you are in enjoyment) (iv) Make we yarn (let us talk) The speaking of pidgin on campuses signals intimacy among the speakers and as such. It is the meeting point for people of diverse socio-cultural and educational background. In addition. This position gave Lagos an influential status. Given these differences. in a nutshell. the role of press in popularizing a concept is tremendous. As such. people especially Nigerians. those who live in or have been to Lagos are considered ‘civilized’ by those who do not share from this privilege. . and south west is considered to be the seat of the most viable and critical press in Nigeria (Idiagbon. Even. accounts for why a considerable number of Yoruba words and slangs found their ways into the Nigerian Pidgin English. in spreading slangs among the youths is overwhelming. Lagos is the most influential state in south west and the region is predominantly inhabited by the Yoruba race. Furthermore. Lagos influence affects pidgin English as it is being spoken on the Nigerian campuses. 1999). Incidentally.Being the most populated and commercially busiest city in Nigeria. This. Pidgin English serves as the most suitable bridge for the people’s communication gap. The influence of musicians. from different parts of the country come for fortune-seeking or/and business transaction. Lagos still remains the state with the highest number of musicians. Campuses are but a micro-society that draws its own inhabitants from a larger society. of course. more so. the associates or initiated. some slangs are exclusively being used by cliques of students who belong to particular cults or societies. Students involve are also aware of this societal reaction and so they hardly use them except where they consider safe and appropriate.Not all slang in Nigerian pidgin derive their source from the Lagos influence. slangs are highly technical and can only be understood by those ‘who belong’. this research is not keen at probing into that area. Slangs in this perspective. In this sense. religious bodies as well as other campus community. Examples of such pidgin expressions are: (i) Wetin be your logo (identify yourself/who are you?) (ii) The guy don gaz (the man is dead) (iii) Shine your eye well well (be careful!) (iv) Chill (be clam) (v) Fashy the guy (neglect the man/lady) The core registered of the initiated are difficult to come by. Code-mixing is another common feature of campus pidgin English. normally generate negative impression from the nonaligned students. Words from Nigerian indigenous languages are inserted into or mixed with the English . (iii) You dey make Iyanga (you are too proud). bail me out of this conspiracy). It is not uncommon therefore to hear Hausas in Bayero University. Code mixing Igbo with English (i) Chineke sebi sey my hand no dey (God knows that I know nothing about it). Here are some examples of code mixing Hausa with English. Code mixing Yoruba with English (i) Wetin de sele (what is happening) (ii) You sweet Omo (you are beautiful lady. . (i) Yawa don gaz (trouble has occurred). Zaria. (ii) I no dey for this wahala (count me out of this trouble).language. Omo literally means a baby but it is technically used to represent a lady). (ii) Biko see me see trouble (please. code-mixing with Yoruba or Igbo indigenous language. Kano or Ahmadu Bello University. But pidgin is nobody’s language and it is evident that student-speakers freely code mix with any of the indigenous languages irrespective of the ethnic background of the speakers and irrespective of the location of a campus. (slangs underlined) Words: standard English correspondence (i) Para : vex (ii) Chop : eat (iii) Pai-in : die (iv) Lem : eat (v) Bale : eat greedily 2. Here are two examples of conversational fragments based on “Wafy” showing how slangs are used in introduced to Nigerian Pidgin English. You no see say person won die. you come de bale (slangs underlined) B: Omo. A: Ah! You sef dey para. you won try. you no see say I never chop for two days now. A: You don de feel. de feel : to pose as an important personality ii. you go drop Shandi Words : standard English correspondence i. shandi : twenty naira. You no wait for me.(iii) Joo comot for road (please. leave the road/excuse me) Apart from the fusion of lexical items from the Nigerian indigenous languages into Nigerian pidgin. As you de look my eyes so. Anyway. Yoruba slangs like “Orobo” and “Lepa” among others have been successfully introduced into the Nigerian Pidgin English. . break this money for me. I have to lem serious before I pai-in. Omo. 1. B: If I go break am for you. as far the Nigerian University campuses are concerned. the researchers. The research does not however see Nigerian Pidgin English as being ethnically neutral but rather considers it as being ethnically-balanced. Even though many distinguished Nigerian linguists have worked and are still working on the form. the latter signifies that the language accommodates substrate languages’ contributions to the form and meaning of this pidgin English. in my own usage. Adegbija. It examines how students have contributed to the uniqueness of form and functions of this variety i. is that while the former means a language that does not identify with any ethnic group (which of course is not true).Conclusion The paper. that the language is no longer viewed with respite and contempt. One therefore established that the impact of the Nigerian students as a community in creating or/and sustaining positive attitude towards Nigerian pidgin underscores the assertion that a new prestigious status for the language has come to stay. having gone through the transitional process of the Pidgin English in Nigeria. This is therefore another token contribution to the existing large volume of works on Nigerian Pidgin English. the . has not been privileged to come across sociolinguistics study of Nigerian Pidgin English on University campuses. this work further strengthens the findings of the positivists like Jowitt. and that its growing popularity portends a promising future especially among the new elitist generation. In addition. beams its search light on the uniqueness of the usage and use of this Pidgin English on the campuses of the Nigerian Universities’ campuses. Finally. The disparity between these two terms. functions and variants of Nigerian Pidgin English.e. the campus Pidgin English. 1994 etc. 1991. with all academic sincerity. and by extension other tertiary institutions’ campuses in Nigeria. speaking of this variety of pidgin is a veritable way of demonstrating comradeship and solidarity among students of the Nigerian higher institutions of learning. . Ibadan: Mosurp Publishers. 13. London: Batsford. P. New Englishes. Hymes. Belgium. Hudson. Nigeria (Unpublished). (1998) “A Comparative Sociolinguistic Analysis of the Form and Function of Taboos in English and Yoruba” A thesis submitted at the Department of Modern European Languages. Decamp. (1990) Sociolinguistics. UK: Longman 2nd edition. Ilorin.S. Language Problems and Language Planning. R. Idiagbon Abdullahi. Ibadan: Encrofit Publishers. R. University of Ilorin. and Muysken. eds. E. Brann. . A Master thesis submitted to the Department of Modern European Languages. Sociolinguistics. N. A. B.E. 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