Naija pidgin

Naija Pidgin or Nigerian Pidgin is an English-based creole language spoken as a lingua franca language across Nigeria. The language is sometimes referred to as Pijin or Vernacular, and it has over time become the basic language in Nigeria.

It came into existence during the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of contact between Britons and Africans involved in the Atlantic slave trade, in the 2010s, a common orthography was developed for Pidgin which has been gaining significant popularity in giving the language a harmonized writing system.

It can be spoken as a creole or a dialect by different speakers, who may switch between these forms depending on their social setting. Variations of what this article refers to as "Nigerian Pidgin" are also spoken across West and Central Africa, in countries such as Benin, Ghana, and Cameroon.

Status

Nigerian Pidgin is commonly used throughout the country and across all ethnic groups, but it does not have official status.

In 2017, the BBC started BBC News Pidgin to provide services in Pidgin.

Varieties

Naija Pidgin varies by location which also determines the influencing substrate language affecting the superstrate English structure resulting in varied flavours. Dialects of Nigerian Pidgin include; The Sapele–Warri–Ughelli dialect spoken in the western Niger Delta area, which is also sometimes grouped together with the Benin City dialect that has influences from the Bini language due to their geographical closeness and common features; The Port Harcourt dialect of Rivers State and the eastern Niger Delta; The Lagos or Western dialect which is highly influenced by Yoruba language and the Onitsha or Eastern variety that draws influences from Igbo language.

According to Obiechina (1984), Nigerian Pidgin English can be subdivided into five dialectal areas or variants;

• Eastern Pidgin – (Port Harcourt, Kalabari, Onitsha, Owerri, Aba, Etc.)
• South West Pidgin – (Lagos, Ibadan, Etc.)
• Northern Pidgin – (Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Jos Etc.)
• South Central Pidgin – (Abraka, Warri, Sapele, Agbor, Etc.)
• Cross River Pidgin – (Calabar, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Obolo, Etc.)

1. 1 2 Ayenbi 2024. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAyenbi2024 (help)
2. ↑ "BBC Pidgin service launched in Nigeria". 2017-08-21. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
3. ↑ Ofulue, Christine I.; Esizimetor, David O. "GUIDE TO STANDARD NAIJÁ ORTHOGRAPHY. An NLA Harmonized Writing System for Common Naijá Publications". IFRA-Nigeria – French Institute for Research in Africa. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
4. ↑ Esizimetor, D. O. (2009). What Orthography for Naijá? Paper delivered at the Conference on Naijá organised by the Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (IFRA), 7–10 July 2009, University of Ibadan Conference Centre.
5. ↑ Faraclas (1996), Introduction. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFFaraclas1996 (help)
6. ↑ Fitimi, Prince; Ojitobome, Afinotan. "The Effect of the Nigerian Pidgin English on the Academic Performance of University Students in Nigeria. Acase Study of National Open University of Nigeria Students in Benin Study Centre". Academia.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
7. 1 2 Goglia, Francesco (2010). "Nigerian Pidgin English". Language Contact Manchester. Archived from the original on 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2018-07-17.