A Cultural & Linguistic Introduction to Nigerian Pidgin
Brought to you by a Nigerian!
This post is long overdue, but I’m finally getting around to making it!
As most of you guys know, I’m from Nigeria, a country that serves as the point of origin for over 500 languages, and I am insanely proud of the rich linguistic history my country possesses. One thread in this vibrant tapestry of language and communication is commonly known as “Nigerian Pidgin”. Nigerian Pidgin, contrary to its name (which reflects its origins) is a creole and not a pidgin, and it functions as one Nigeria’s Linguae Francae. It’s spoken all over West Africa, (especially in countries neighboring Nigeria, such as Benin) but it originated in the country I call home. This post serves a non-comprehensive introduction to Nigerian Pidgin, and I hope you guys enjoy it!
NOTE: Although I can understand Pidgin fluently, my spoken Pidgin is far from perfect due to me not speaking it much growing up.
Pidgin: A grammatically simple form of a language that is most often used for communication between people or groups that don’t have a language in common. Pidgins are characterized by being simpler or “Broken” forms of a language (E.g. Broken English)
Creole: A language that develops through frequent contact or interspersion of two languages, and it usually arises from a pidgin. It differs from a pidgin in that it has developed rules and a determined structure. Examples include Nigerian Pidgin, Haitian Creole, and Singlish.
Lexifier: In regards to a pidgin or creole,the dominant language that provides a basis for its vocabulary. (In the case of Nigerian Pidgin and Singlish, the lexifier is British RP/Standard British English, but for languages like Haitian Creole, it’s French.)
Strate: “Layer” in Latin; refers to a language that either influences others through contact, or is influenced by others through contact.
Substrate: A strate with (perceived) lower prestige or power in comparison to another
Superstrate: A strate with (perceived) higher power or prestige in comparison to another
Adstrate: A strate lacking any identifiable higher or lower prestige.
Like all Creoles, Nigerian Pidgin has a lexifier, and ours comes in the form of British RP (Received Pronunciation).Though this form of British English served as the earliest foundation of Nigerian Pidgin, the creole in its current state possesses its own unique vocabulary and grammar rules.
For example, I’ll say some sentences in Pidgin and place them alongside their English equivalents, so we can contrast and compare!
How are you? / How are you feeling? - English
How you dey? / How body? - Pidgin
How far? / Wetin dey sup? (slang) - Pidgin
Get out (of here) / Go away - English
Comot for here / Leave my front - Pidgin
Let’s pause for a quick look at how Pidgin sounds (using one of my favorite songs! Last Last by Burna Boy)
32 seconds · Clipped by Shelf Of A Scribe · Original video "Burna Boy - Last Last (Lyrics)" by Vibe Music
I’m not going to bother to break down the Yoruba part of it, but here’s what the Pidgin means:
I was in Port Harcourt when [they] killed Soboma
I was trying to buy a car; a Toyota Corolla
My feelings were swinging (going up and down) like a see-saw x 2
Now, you crashed your Ferrari in Lekki, Burna
It was so close, it could’ve been all over
My feelings are still swinging (going up and down) like a see-saw
...
Why'd you say I did nothing for you when I'd do anything you wanted me to?
Chapter Two: Language Origins
As you can probably tell from those examples, Pidgin utilizes its own words, as well as English ones reborn. In addition to English, Pidgin frequently borrows from several other adstrates (usually languages native to Nigeria).
This can be seen in some words that entered the lexicon—Yoruba's "ṣebi", for instance, which is often used at the start of an intonation or a question ("ṣebi you dey come" meaning "you're coming, right?"); and "abi", used similarly to ṣebi but typically placed at the end of a sentence. ("You dey come, abi?" is another way to say my previous example sentence.)
There's also Oya, which has the exact same meaning as Yalla in Arabic, which I would see as more precise than defining it simply as "let's go" or "hurry up" or "I'm waiting for you" or "I'm done, let's go". Let's say it's multi purposed.
Modern pidgin slang terms also tend to pull from Yoruba (my favorite example being werey, which means mad/crazy)
Igbo and Hausa, our other two most spoken languages, are not without their contributions. Igbo contributed "biko", meaning please, and "unu" which was changed into una and means a plural you or "you people".
For example, all of una dey mad, awon werey - a sentence meaning "all you people are mad/crazy, with the sentiment repeated for emphasis)
(It’s worthy to note that Unu made its way over to Jamaican Patois, which is another famous creole!)
Hausa contributed the word "ba", which abi is derived from, and is used exactly the same way.
(Abi is sort of a mix between ṣebi and ba and is most likely the word I use the most!!)
Because of Portuguese contact with Nigeria, a lot of our Pidgin words have their origins in Portuguese. Some examples include Sabi (to know) and Pikin (child)
Some words, like “Jangolova”, have contested origins—we still can’t agree on whether it came from an English phrase or a Portuguese word!
Acrolect: In regards to a Creole, the dialect closest to the standard form of a language, and as such, seen as the most prestigious or formal. In the case of Pidgin, this would actually be Nigerian English! I’m using that term to denote Standard English spoken with accepted “Nigerianisms” (such as the following words: gateman (denotes a person that stands guard your gate), compound (denotes a backyard and a front yard), yard (used to mean both your physical yard and the people in it), and estate (refers to a neighborhood). It is worth noting that Nigerian English retains some words used in British RP English, along with their meanings (my favorite examples being palaver and portmanteau)
Basilect: The “base-form” or colloquial form of a creole. Like an acrolect, it has class distinctions attached, and is often associated with “the lower class” or a lack of education. In terms of Nigerian Pidgin, Basilectal Pidgin tends to borrow more from our indigenous languages, such as Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. Basilectal Pidgin and Standard English are generally not mutually intelligible, which is why many people speak Pidgin and don't understand English.
Mesolect: A mesolect is somewhere in between a basilect and an acrolect, and is a LOT harder to define. In terms of Nigerian Pidgin, I’d define it as more tied to Standard English than Basilectal Pidgin in that it tends to make use of primarily English grammar. However, it is more accented than acrolectal pidgin and still borrows from our indigenous languages. This is the type of pidgin I most often use :)
NOTE: @fineassed has a great video on this in terms of Singlish. He's actually super clever and an inspiration of mine so I highly recommend you check out his page for more linguistics related stuff!
Chapter Three: Language Elitism As A Relic of Colonialism
Of course, no explanation on Pidgin is complete without a small note about something I've noticed
Even though Pidgin is a vibrant, unique, Nigerian invention, it's often treated as a substrate in academic circles, while English is seen as a superstrate. English (and as such, acrolectal Nigerian English) is seen as the language of the elite and the educated. Mesolectal Pidgin is only valued based on its proximity to British RP, and basilectal or “pure” Pidgin is seen as the language of the uneducated. Despite the fact that the use of Pidgin bonds Nigerians together more than the use of English ever will, it is still not officially recognized as a national language
In my case, I was encouraged to speak English instead of Pidgin growing up so "my English wouldn't be tampered with". I know a lot of people who have the same story, and it's leading to loss of the language among some demographics in my generation. It's also why (even though my understanding is fluent) my speaking is imperfect.
English is the language of education in Nigeria. It is also our other Lingua franca. Partly because of its potential for greater international use, it tends to earn more respect than Pidgin does.
Although this sort of language elitism has been going on for decades, it’s particularly prevalent in the time and age we live in, and it serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of colonialism.
