THE USE OF PIDGIN ENGLISH IN THE UNIVERSITY

COMMUNITY (A case study of University of Calabar)

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction:

One of the most important differences between man and

animal is man’s ability to speak and make others understand him.

Language is only possible because within each society, people

agree to understand a particular pattern of sound in a particular

way. For instance, all English speaking countries understand the

meaning of the word ‘water’. According to Akindele and Adegbije,

language is:

A human phenomenon that has form which

can be described in terms of units of sound

(phonemes), word, morphemes, phrases,

sentences and paragraphs or discourse (1).

This definition shows that language has often been identified

as the most unique attribute of man. It is through language that

human beings grasp and understand reality and transmit it from

one generation to another. This view is buttressed by Blakar who

asserts that “we actually live and behave in a world of language”

(4). Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman quoted Noam Chomoky

as saying that:

When we study human language, we are

approaching what some might call the human

essence. The distributive qualities of mind that

are so far as we know unique to man. (1).

Language, which Oyewo Yinka describe as “the medium or

vehicle for conveying ideas, a system of arbitrary vocal symbol

based on social cooperation; the totality of meaningful utterance

in any given society” (15) is by far the most important means of

human communication.

The negative effect of Nigerian Pidgin English on students is

the focus of this research work. Pidgin has their different histories

about language contact and subsequent borrowing and code-

mixing. The origin of Nigerian pidgin can be traced to the contact

which was established between multilingual coastal communities

and Portuguese merchants, who were joined later by the Dutch

and the English. Nigerian Pidgin English is in fact becoming very

popular in the country, especially in the secondary schools and in

the universities; even at public function as well as in the offices.

It is a lingua franca for social integration among diverse ethnic

groups in the country.

Nigerian Pidgin English has developed to the extent that it is

utilized for literary communication. Some of the works which

Nigerian pidgin is employed as a medium of expression are “Dis

Nigeria Sef” a poem written by Ken Saro-Wiwa, No Food No

Country a play by Tunde Fatunde, and Grip Am a play by Ola

Rotimi; though some people consider it to be a low social status.

Nigerian Pidgin has come to stay as the major lingua franca

adopted for communication among the many different speakers in

Nigeria. According to Jowitt:

The situation today is that pidgin flourishes as

a medium of inter-ethnic communication,

especially in the south, and especially in the

large cities with many non-indigenous

residents (Bendel, Benin, Port Harcourt, etc)

 or throughout States with small many ethnic

groups…(13)

Nigerian Pidgin in this case is a situation where normal

language pattern is altered, but generally accepted to convey

meaning. The language does not only evolve but also has its

origin from a mixture of other languages. Experiences have

shown that among the students for which this work was

conceived, Nigerian Pidgin English has gained a wider audience in

all sectors of the economy, especially the educational sector.

Background to the Study:

The term pidgin is used to refer to a language which

develops in a situation where speakers of different languages

have a need to communicate but do not share a common

language. Once a pidgin has emerged, it is generally learned as a

second language and used for communication among people who

speak differently.

Language is the most creative and unlimited instrument for

social communication and it helps us to understand the deep

seated social relevance, culture involvement and the human

relatedness of language. Having said this, we can therefore agree

that pidgin is a language of its own and not just a supplementary

tongue as some people see it, since it serves as an unlimited

instrument of social communication especially in a multilingual

community as University of Calabar.

According to R. Linton he states that “the culture of a society

is the way of life of its members, the collection of ideas and

habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to

generation” (12). These cultures, ideas and habits can only be

transmitted from generation to generation through language. In

linguistic, every language is considered adequate to represent the

communicative needs of its people and as such should not be

made to suffer any biases.

This cannot be said of Nigerian Pidgin – even though it is a

language – because various attempts have been made by

different faction to eradicate the use of Nigerian Pidgin English.

These attempts have however been unsuccessful because of the

significant value the language has to its users. It is a language

that has brought people together in spite of their differences in

ancestral culture and language by creating a local culture for

itself which blends ideas from different cultures.

Statement of Research Problem:

Nigerian Pidgin is a language just as English and there is

enough room for both language to co-exist and be mutually

enriching. Despite this – and the fact that Nigerian Pidgin English

appears to be the most popular means of communication among

diverse groups and is easier to learn than any other language in

the country today – it is generally asserted that it is not the

suitable language for use in formal setting and its use in such

setting is usually frowned at.

This research work will explore the potentials of Nigerian

Pidgin English as a language. If Nigerian Pidgin English does have

this potential, why is its usage and status denigrated? Also, does

the speaking of Nigerian Pidgin affect the student’s academic

performance? Answers to these questions will enable us make

useful recommendations for future studies.

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