EFFECTS OF NIGERIAN PIDGIN ENGLISH IN UNIVERSITY COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTH CENTRAL ZONE OF NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
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 North central geo political zone of Nigeria. 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 super 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 act
the student’s academic performance? Answers to these questions will enable us make
useful recommendations for future studies.
