Nigerian Pidgin English
| Nigerian Pidgin | |
|---|---|
| Naija | |
| Native to | Nigeria |
|
Native speakers
|
(undated figure of 30 million L1 and L2 speakers) |
|
Creole language
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | nige1257 |
Nigerian Pidgin is an English-based pidgin and creole language spoken as a lingua franca across Nigeria. The language is commonly referred to as "Pidgin" or Broken (pronounced "Brokin"). It is distinguished from other creole languages since most speakers are not true native speakers although many children learn it at an early age. It can be spoken as a pidgin, a creole, or a decreolised acrolect by different speakers, who may switch between these forms depending on the social setting.
Variations of Pidgin are also spoken across West and Central Africa, in countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Ghana and Cameroon. Pidgin English, despite its common use throughout the country, has no official status.
Each of the 250 or more ethnic groups in Nigeria can converse in the language, though they usually have their own additional words. For example, the Yorùbás use the words Ṣe and Abi when speaking Pidgin. They are often used at the start or end of an intonated sentence or question: "You are coming, right?" becomes Ṣe you dey come? or You dey come abi?
Another example is the Igbos adding the word Nna, also used at the beginning of some sentences to show camaraderie: Man, that test was very hard becomes Nna, that test hard no be small.
Nigerian Pidgin also varies from place to place. Dialects of Nigerian Pidgin may include the Warri; Sapele; Benin; Port Harcourt; Lagos, especially in Ajegunle; and Onitsha varieties.
Nigerian Pidgin is most widely spoken in the oil rich Niger Delta where most of its population speak it as their first language.
However, other people speak pidgin in their own ways all over Nigeria.
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Wikipedia